Hazel Eyes
by SazzaCubz13
Summary: Hermione's life was turned around when her parents died and she was sent to live with an "uncle" she had never heard of before. However she soon finds out that maybe the old mansion she now finds herself in, is where she should be. Soon many secrets about the house and the gardens reveal themselves, ones that are needed to be found to help. (My twist on the Secret garden story)
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 ***Present day***

Hermione couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief as she elegantly stepped out of the extravagant car her 'Uncle' has gifted her as a Christmas present. Something she had rolled her eyes at having thought it was a little too much, but accepted when he saw how happy he looked when he presented it to her. The young adults gaze wandered over the grey, cold stone that the grand Manor house was made of, but the building was more than simply that, it was the place that held so many memories for her. Good memories, and bad memories in equal measure. All of which moulded her into the woman standing there today. A small smile flitted across her face as a warm spring breeze swirled around her, almost as if in a greeting, causing the stray hairs that had escaped from her bun to blow around happily, almost as if they were dancing happily to be back on the ground of the first place Hermione truly called home. Like every time she came back to the Manor, all the memories of her springs and summers came flooding back to her. These memories were what caused the small smile the wind caused to creep onto her face break into a mischievous smile. Hermione knew she should probably go up to the front door, inform someone in the Manor that she was there, but this was her favourite time of the year. The start of spring. There was only one thing on her mind at that moment. So instead of going up the large stone steps, she made her way around the house to enter the large gardens at the back of the Manor.

Hermione's feet seemed to almost subconsciously know where they wanted to go. They seemed to have decided that because spring had finally arrived at the Manor and because Miss Hermione had not been at the Manor since the snow covered Christmas time she needed to go the long way to her desired destination to fully appreciate the beauty that spring brought. So Hermione slowly meandered her way along the paths that twisted their way around the acres of gardens, stopping in the vegetable gardens and going into all of the orchards and flower gardens, making sure to greet every gardener and house elf she saw happily working away as she passed them.

Slowly she approached the place she had been looking forward to visiting the most, the reason she had come home. She couldn't help but lift her hand and let it trail in the long ivy covered wall as she approached the corner, letting out a small girly laugh as she did. This long walkway was familiar to her, and she couldn't help but quicken her pace as she followed the ivy covered wall, her cheeks now a lovely rosy pink colour. Like every spring, she felt like she was finding the secret doorway all over again. It was the best way to relive her teenage years.

The moment she turned the corner she instantly knew she was out of sight from anyone who was working in the gardens. Her facial expression turned from the happy, laughter to one of concentration, as she pushed her hand into the ivy until she felt the cold stone wall on the other side of it. She slowed down her place and allowed her hand to trail across said wall until she felt the familiar cold, small, copper door handle. Quickly, in one movement, without even thinking she turned the handle and pushed open the small door. With a slight creak due to its age, the wooden door opens and she hurried into what it hid behind it, closing the door behind her, looking around at one of the main reasons she always came home at the start of spring.

The garden. Her garden, was in full bloom. Everything was still as overgrown and as colourful as it had been the first spring she witnessed in her garden. She supressed a grin as she saw all the paths were clear of dirt and twigs, after winter they always got that way, something she was sure was the work of Albus, Harry or Draco, as those 3 would be the only ones to even think about something like that. She slowly made her way around her garden. Stopping only when she heard a familiar chirp from behind her. She quickly turned and let out a small tinkle of a laugh as she saw the familiar old robin standing on top of the frame of the white metal seat that had been pushed into the small cove of the garden. Hermione smiled at her old friend and slowly approached him, knowing how the old bird got with respect.

"Hello Robin. How are you? Still looking as magnificent as ever I see. May I join you?" she asked, waiting politely for the response of the old bird.

Who simply fluffed out his red chest and chirped loudly at her as if to say, "Why thank you, old friend, of course you can sit me with me. We have much to catch up on"

Hermione settled herself at the opposite end of the bench and made herself comfortable. As she looked around her garden from the seat, she could almost hear the echoes of the laughter of old memories re-surfacing. Slowly without her even noticing, she found herself drifting off to sleep, a small smile on her face as she relived her old memories.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

As a young child Hermione had grown up used to being alone, and as a teenager she had come to know it simply as a normality in her life. You see, her father was an Auror, one of the best actually, due to this he was sent over to India with his family to help the ministry of magic there. The down side was he was always busy working. The man loved his daughter however and would do anything for his little Mione. So if he ever had to work late, he always made sure to leave a single rose on her bedside table when he got in as a reminder to the girl of how much he loved her. He knew it wasn't much, but he felt that it was important Hermione knew she was loved even in a small way. It was common knowledge that his wife wasn't fond of their daughter, in fact the woman tried to pretend she didn't have one. That didn't matter much to Hermione, she loved waking up every morning to see that rose waiting for her from her father. Like every morning she picked up the rose and placed it in the large vase of roses she had sitting happily by her window. In that moment she didn't know that would be the last rose she got from her father, if she did, she probably wouldn't have let it mix with the rest of the red roses but kept it separate, as a reminder if the last gift from the only person who loved her.

However she didn't know so she went through her normal morning ritual. Humming a tune she knew she had heard someone hum around the house, as she settled at the small table that had been put into her room at her mother's request, so she could eat her meals away from everyone else. As she waited for her Ayah to enter the room with her breakfast, she picked up the book she had been reading the day before. Hermione was never allowed to go to Wizarding School in India, simply for the reason her mother didn't want people to know about a daughter associated with her that didn't meet her standards, so Hermione taught herself numbers, how to read and how to write, eventually the girl taught herself how to perfume magic at a higher level than most her age mainly because she had no one stopping her pace of learning. Hermione found herself growing more annoyed as she waited for her breakfast. But no one came to serve her it.

Finally have had enough, Hermione put her book down with little more force than was necessary before she left the room, on the hunt for someone to feed her. But as she slowly wandered around the top floor, she started to notice how unusually silent the large house was. Normally there was some kind of noise coming from within the house, whether it be her mother shouting at the servants as the decorations for her next party were all wrong, or her father humming as he played the piano in the parlour, or the normal hustle and bustle of servants and house elf's as they did their jobs in a hurry, no one wanting to get into trouble by the Mistress of the house. As the uneasy silence grew Hermione clutched her wand to her person, she knew she didn't need it as she had mastered most basic spells wandlessly, but somehow she felt safer having the wand in her hand as she moved around the house knowing she could use it now she was of age.

When she entered the large dining room she noticed the table was still set, there was still food and elf made wine from the grand dinner party her mother had been hosting the night before. She had known all about the dinner, and had gone out her way to hid in the shadows of the stairs before going to bed to watch all the guests as they arrived in their magnificent gowns. However everything all looked very different now, everything seems to be placed in such a way that it almost made Hermione think the occupants were about to come back at any moment.

As she moved further into the room Hermione made sure to grab a small roll from the table, nibbling away on it as she looked around the grand room she was never allowed to enter into. As she looked around a small snake entered the room and stared at her. Hermione wasn't scared of snakes, in fact she saw them a lot when she went out into the sandy gardens. She knew there were some witches and wizards who would communicate with snakes but sadly she was not one of those witches. She was, however, very grateful of the small creatures company, the grand house was starting to feel rather lonely, almost as if she had been forgotten.

"Whatever do you suppose happened in here? It is as if no one is in this house but you and I, little snake" Hermione couldn't help but ask the sneak as she walked towards the exit at the back of the room a small smile appearing as she watched the snake slither towards her almost as if to respond to her. Turning on her heel she made her way out the room, the odd creature at her heels, determined to see if anyone at all was in the house with her.

As she walked into the next room the first thing Hermione noticed was a small picture in an elegant picture frame had been turned over so it was now facing down. With Hermione's curiosity getting the better of her, she couldn't help but wander over to it and pick up the picture. Within the frame was the picture of a blonde young woman, swinging on a large swing, laughing happily and waving happily up at Hermione. Hermione couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the woman, clutching the small picture in her hands. This must be her "Aunt" Narcissa, the one her father had told her all about. The woman with the magical gardens in England. She looks a lot like Hermione's mother, which was strange considering they were best friends. The woman was beautiful and young, and bar the fact she had blonde hair and a genuine smile (not one simply for show like Hermione's mother) the woman could have easily passed for sisters.

Hermione gasped as she examined the picture closely. The woman, her "aunt", had the exact same eyes as her. Her smile weakened a little as she stared at the woman in the picture. Hazel eyes meeting an exact copy of the Hazel eyes of the woman in the picture. The difference being the woman's eyes glinted with joy and happiness and something Hermione could only describe as secretiveness, whereas Hermione's eyes were sad and old, from a childhood of being ignored and being let to have her own way since she could talk, simply so she wouldn't annoy her mother.

Hermione wasn't sure how long she had been stood in the room looking at the picture, but when she finally turned around to leave she saw a young man, barley older than herself, standing in the doorway. Looking at her in amazement, as if he was amazed she even existed. "Major, there's a girl in here!" he called, not talking his eyes off Hermione as if she would disappear if he looked away.

Hermione looked back at him, frowning as an older man ran into the room shouting, "You mean alive?" As he noticed Hermione he gasped loudly in surprise. This caused Hermione to glare at both men. Did they not know who she was? How dare they stare at her in such a way!

"My name is Hermione Jean Granger" She paused, thinking. Maybe these men could give her some of the answers she had been looking for, "where has everyone gone? Where is my Ayah!" She demanded.

Hermione must have looked as confused as she felt as the two men look at one another, almost as if they were silently communicating. The younger of the two Auror's started to walk around the room, carefully looking at everything in case it had been contaminated or something, speaking to his superior "we've serched the elf's quarters as well, Major, I'm surprised there was a quarters for them. It must have been the old man's doing. Anyway, it seems that the only people alive are the snake and this girl."

Hermione couldn't stop the frown deepening on her face as she crossed her arms, why were these men ignoring her?! "Why has no one come for me?" she demanded, looking between the men.

The man who she knew to be called Major approached Hermione carefully. "'m afraid there is no one left, miss." He told her, from his tone Hermione could tell he was sorry.

The younger Auror walked over to them and looked at Hermione in shock, "it's a bloody miracle she escaped the Spattergroit, though Merlin knows how. She was drinking the same water they were."

Hermione looked at the men, hoping one of them would have answers she could understand, "But where are my mother and father?"

"I'm so sorry miss." The younger man said his head lowering a little in sadness before he turned to Major, "Where should we take her, Major. Our orders are to burn anything that might be contaminated."

Both of them looked at Hermione as the older man contemplated this question, "This Ministers house for now. I do recall mention of an 'Uncle', or family friends somewhere." With that the man turned and left the room.

Leaving the younger Auror with Hermione who was still clutching onto the picture of the beautiful woman she knew to be her aunt, "I am sorry miss, but you will have to leave that picture here," he said kindly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, "no, I will not! I am taking it with me."

"Is it your mother?"

"No, it is not."

If the man was taken aback by this blunt response he didn't show it, instead he let out a defeated sigh and nodded, "Yes, well. Come alone then." He left the room with Hermione following behind him. Clutching onto the picture still.

Over the next few weeks Miss Hermione found herself living with the Major and his wife. She knew she was meant to stay at the Minister's house, but after only one day she was asked to be moved due to an unfortunate spell being placed upon one of the Ministers children that resulted in a flock of birds following him around and pecking at him until the spell was called off. No one however could link Miss Hermione to the incident, but everyone had witnessed the scene in the garden between the two teenagers that same day. Miss Hermione had been playing in the garden, pretending it was her own and Theodore had decided that everything she was doing in said garden was wrong, causing a laud argument between the two teens. Thus it was easy to put two and two together from that. The Major and his wife happily accepted Miss Hermione into their home having no children of their own, thinking a teenage girl would be easy to look after until they all made the long trip to London. However when they arrived in the Ministry of Magic in London via portkey, neither of them could say they were sorry to say goodbye to the stubborn young woman.

Hermione stood a little way off as they waited for Mrs. McGonagall to come to pick her up. She was looking at the large statue in the middle of the hall ignoring the world around her, the Majors wife however was watching the girl and she couldn't help but voice her thoughts to her husband in a quiet voice, "She is such a sour young thing. Perhaps if Jean had spent a little more time with the girl, Hermione may have learned some of her mother's pretty ways."

The Major shook his head sadly, "What a nightmare it must have been for the young thing, to go to sleep to the sounds of a party and then wake up the next morning to find out they are all dead."

The couple frowned as they observed the teenager, though before either of them could continue with their conversation a woman had appeared next to them. She was sharply dressed, with an air of no nonsense around her. "Good evening, Major" she said in a crisp voice, "I am Mr. Malfoy's housekeeper. Where is the girl?"

"One moment, Mrs." The Major said, before going over to Hermione. Hermione turned when the Major approached and looked around him to see the woman who was standing with the man's wife. She did not like the look of her at all. She seemed stricken, as if she had no time for teenagers.

As Hermione and the Major approached her, Mrs. McGonagall peered at the girl. Trying to figure her out. "I assume you are, Hermione." She turned to the Majors wife, "What a queer unresponsive little thing, well what a plain piece of goods, her mother was a beauty I recall, it's clear she didn't hand much of it down did she."

Hermione didn't speak, she simply looked at the woman, as the Majors wife fumbled about in her purse trying not to smile at the words of the older woman, "she might improve when she gets older, children change" she let out a triumphant gasp as she pulled out Hermione's papers to give to Mrs. McGonagall, "That's all Hermione's paperwork, death certificates and all"

"Her father was the Head Auror of my team and a fine man he was too. We are all very sorry to hear he is gone. Please take good care of his daughter"

"Of course, Major." Mrs. McGonagall said. "Come along"

"A pleasant journey to you both," the man concluded before Mrs. McGonagall moved off, Hermione in her wake. Hermione turned at the last minute to see the couple she had travelled with wave her goodbye to her and she waved back at them slightly before rushing to catch up with the woman who was quickly headed out of the building.

The walk to Kings Cross Station was a short but silent one between the teenager and the woman. In fact neither of them broke the silence that had fallen between the two until the train they had found themselves on had pulled into a small station in the middle of nowhere. Hermione wasn't sure where the station was exactly as she had spent most of the train journey asleep. But as they both got comfortable in the small carriage that was being pulled along by the skeletal horses Hermione knew to be called Thestral's, Mrs. McGonagall turned to look at the young woman's who had not spoken a single word to her in the hours they had spent in each other's company, "well, now, I suppose you'd like to know a little something about where you are going? Though it's a pity for you you've got nowhere to go but the Manor"

"I am not that bothered."

"But don't you care about your new home?"

"It doesn't matter where I care or not."

Mrs. McGonagall looked at the young woman across from her, this was not what she had expected of the teenage girl. "Now, in all my years, I have never seen a child sit so still or look so old," she couldn't help but mutter to herself. She watched Hermione's queer, unresponsive face for a few moments as if trying to think what to say, "Well, you're right not to care. It's a grand place, The Manor, but in a gloomy way. And I feel Mr. Malfoy is proud of that now. The house is about 600 years old and it's placed on the edge of a moor, and there is about 100 odd rooms in the place. Though most of them are now shut up and locked. The grounds around the house are huge, and spectacular with gardens with huge trees with branches going all the way to the ground, well some of them that is. But that's it." She paused, Hermione had found herself listening to the woman in spite of herself. This house she had spoken of seemed very different than her one in India, and the thought of it rather interested her. However before she could ask the woman about the house she had contained to speak, and Hermione knew it was rude to interrupt so stayed quiet. "Why youre being brought to Malfoy Manor I'll never know. It's probably because it is the easiest way. You're 'Uncle' Isnt going to trouble himself about you, that is for sure and certain. He never troubles himself about anyone, not even himself." Mrs. McGonagall stopped talking, Hermione looked at her, the woman had a look in her eyes as if she was remembering something, "He's a hunchback, you see. That set him all wrong. Such a sour young man and all his money got him nothing until he was married."

Hermione looked surprised, she had been told stories of her "Aunt". Her mother's best friend with the beautiful face, "To my Aunt Cissa?"

Mrs. McGonagall saw the look in the young woman's eyes and smile in spite of herself, it seemed her company wasn't as uninterested as she appeared to be. "Her full name was Narcissa. And she was a sweet, pretty thing. We all knew he'd have walked the world over just to get her a blade of grass that she wanted. Nobody thought she would marry him, but marry him she did. And it wasn't for his money that much was plain for anyone to see. Those two were lost souls connected. But then she died…"

Hermione jumped not expecting that in the story and looked positively alarmed, "How did she die?"

Mrs. McGonagall looked sad and shook her head at the girl, "how she did is not a matter we folks talk about. But it made him worse than ever. He seems to care about nobody. He won't see people. He travels most of the time now for his work, but when he is home he simply shuts himself up in the west wing and won't let anyone but his old friend and Potions Master Severus see him. Didn't your mother or father tell you any of this?"

"My parents did have the time to tell me stories." Hermione spoke bitterly.

To Hermione this all sounded like something out of a book she would read, but it was not a story she would have chosen to step food into. A house with a hundred rooms that were nearly all locked up. A house on the edge of a moor – she wasn't sure what that was yet, but she didn't like the sound of it. A man with a hunched back who shut himself up. She stared out the carriage window as the flash of light crossed the sky and the heavens began to pour down on their small carriage. She knew if her aunt was still alive she might have looked forward to living in the big house a little more, but she wasn't and Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about her 'Uncle' or the strange how now.

"You mustn't expect that there will be many people to talk to now. You will have to look after yourself once we arrive. I shall tell you what rooms you can go into and what rooms you must keep out of. The Gardens are free for you to go about in, but when you are inside the house, please don't go poking about. Mr. Malfoy will simply not allow it." Mrs. McGonagall said rather sternly.

"I shall not want to go poking about, "Hermione said rather sourly. She turned her face toward the window once again. However it was not long before another question popped into her head, and she turned to face the woman, "What is the moor?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Look out the window, you won't see much because it is dark but you should be able to see something. It is simply wild land that nothing grows on but heather and gorse, and nothing lives on but wild ponies and sheep." Mrs. McGonagall answered, "We've got to drive about 5 miles across it until we get to the Manor."

Hermione turned back to her window and looked more closely. In the light of the lamps on the carriage she could see bushes and low-growing things which ended in a great expanse of dark which seemed to spread out all around them. Though she could not see much she could hear a low rushing sound, "what is the awful howling sound?" she demanded looking around at her companion.

"That's the wind, blowing through the bushes. They call it wuthering that sound" Mrs. McGonagall said softly, "it's a dreary enough place out here, but there is plenty that likes it, especially when the heathers in bloom" The carriage seemed to start to climb up a hilly piece of road, and in the distance she could see a light. Mrs. McGonagall saw it also and drew a long sigh of relief, "look there, that tiny light far across there. That'll be the gate it will," she said, "we shall get a good cuppa after this long day."

Eventually the carriage passed through the gates, and started to make its way up a long driveway which was lined with threes, which in Hermione's window she could see touched overhead, making it seem as if they were driving through a long tunnel. But after a while the drove out into a clear space and Hermione saw her new home for the first time.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Unknown to Hermione her ''Uncle'' was already at home waiting for her to arrive, he was stood at his study window looking down at the courtyard watching for the carriage. His was the lone light on in the Manor due to the lateness of the hour. Though his room was the lone light that did not mean he was alone. His best friend, and personal potions master, Severus Snape had arrived early that morning knowing that a guest was arriving at the Manor. Severus had been quiet all day as he sat in Lucius's study, the man had informed him that he was undecided whether or not he would greet the girl upon her arrival or not. It was now rather late and Severus knew that the girl would be arriving at any moment, from the look on his friend's face it appeared as if he had decided not to greet her when she arrived at the front door. "For Merlin's sake, Lucius" Severus started, not getting angry but more frustrated at his friend. "The girl's parents are dead. She has travelled over six thousand miles to get here. You are now her guardian. The least you can do is greet her when she arrives"

"I can't Severus. I- I wouldn't know what to say to the girl." Lucius explained, sighing as he turned away from the window. "You greet her, tell Mrs. McGonagall the orders, I will be in my room." With that Lucius shuffled from the room. Severus watched the hunchback man as he left his study, before getting out of the chair in front of the fire he had made himself comfortable in only hours before. He knew someone had welcome the girl to the house, if not his friend it would have to be him.

Severus was walking down the main stair case, just as the old butler Matthew and two house elves; Sylvar and Aiwn at his heels approached the front door. Matthew opened the front door and from where Severus stood at the bottom of the stairs he could see the downpour of rain, and he was thankful that he was not the one travelling on the Moors that night. As he processed that thought he watched as uptight, scrutinizing Mrs. McGonagall, walk through the double doors, a young woman in her wake wearing all black, her clock included. Severus eyes the young woman up, just as it seemed she eyes him up, though whatever conclusions she came to she didn't voice them. He watched as after a few moments of looking at him her hazel eyes moved from him to the grand room they were standing in. it was impressive, he could admit, though in the dim light of the candles Miss Hermione was not getting the full effect. Both of them waited for Mrs. McGonagall to hand her emerald green clock to Sylvar, before she insisted that Hermione did the same with her own. Aiwin had hobbled almost silently out of the grand door they hand entered through to collect Young Miss's things.

It was then that it seemed Mrs. McGonagall noticed the silent man on the bottom step, Hermione had noticed straight away that he was waiting for them. If Mrs. McGonagall was surprised to see him waiting, her face never showed it. In fact she seemed almost disappointed to see the man on the stairs. "Hermione, this is Severus Snape. Your 'Uncle's' closest friend." Mrs. McGonagall spoke sharply but her voice was quiet, as if she didn't want to waken the snoring portraits all around them. Hermione frowned as she took in what the woman had told her, so this man with a hook of a nose was not her 'Uncle'. About 80% of her was relieved that yet another sour faced adult was not her guardian, but there was that 10% of her that was sad. Why had her 'Uncle' not greet her? Did he not want anything to do with her?

"How do you do." Hermione said to the greasy haired man, not holding her hand out to him as she knew he knew she was simply saying the words to be polite, not because she actually wanted to.

"You are to take her to her room." Severus said in just as low a voice, "He doesn't want to see her. He is going away in the morning and has decided he may see her when he returns."

"Very good, Severus." Mrs. McGonagall answered, and with that Severus turned on his heel and walked up the stairs. Almost as if he was the one owned the building not Hermione's 'Uncle'.

Hermione watched the man go, her head tilted as she took in the strange encounter. It just added to the strangeness that was the grand manor she now was to call her home. "Well come along girl," was the only comment Mrs. McGonagall said as she lifted the front of her dress and marched up the stairs, taking a left at the top of them, Hermione following on behind her. "Now the East wing of the house is free for you to explore, and if you are to go to the gardens you must only use the main stair case, is that understood?" the woman said in her no nonsense voice as she led Hermione towards her rooms.

"Yes, Mrs. McGonagall" Hermione answered almost sourly, not used to being told what she could and could not do, and having a servant tell her on top of it all. If they had been in India it simply wouldn't have happened. Other than that order from McGonagall the duo remained silent until they reached a corridor, Mrs. McGonagall pushed back a tapestry to reveal a door behind it. With a push the door creaked open to reveal a room with a fire already blazing in it and supper on the small table near the window. The room was medium in size, with two comfy looking arm chairs pointing towards the grand fireplace, a large bookcase filled with books, a writing desk as well as the small table Hermione knew she was expected to eat meals at unless a grand event was happening in the Manor, something she highly doubted with how strange the house was. Hermione knew the larger room, the open door next to the fireplace lead too, was to be her bedroom, and it probably was as grand if grander than the room she was in now.

"Well, here you are." Mrs. McGonagall said unceremoniously, "this room and the next are where you shall live. But you mustn't expect that there will be many people to talk to you here. You will have to play about and look after yourself. If you get bored of the books in here, you may take books from the small library on this wing, but as I have told you, you cannot go wandering about the Manor. Your 'Uncle' simply will not allow it!" she spoke, though Hermione was not listening. Her gaze had fallen upon the empty vase on the window sill. It was the twin of the vase her mother had broken the morning before her party.

Jean and Robert Granger had not realised that Hermione sat in the shadows listening to their argument that morning, you see she had perfected the art of simply observing from a young age. She had always liked to watch her mother from the sandy gardens, mainly because her mother was a beautiful woman but she was a mysterious one. It was the only way Hermione could see her mother. This is how she overheard the conversation that had resulted in the smashed vase. "Jean," she had heard her father say, as she hid behind a tall leafy plant watching her father approach her mother who was sitting on the back porch drinking her morning tea, "I really must insist on sending you and Mione away until we get this Spattergroit under control." She heard her father all but beg her mother.

"And what shall I do?" came the sing song like voice of her mother, "wander around the hills, alone with our child, while she stares at me the whole time? I think not Robert."

"She is not starting at you. Hermione just wants to look at you" this response seemed to not console her mother at all, as she simply got to her feet quite suddenly causing everything on the table, including a rather large vase of flowers to fall to the ground with a smash.

"Robert," I will not be leaving this house. Not with the party happening tonight." Jean hissed at her husband before she turned and walked into the house, her nose held high.

"Goodnight, then" was the sharp voice that brought Hermione back to reality, and she turned to see Mrs. McGonagall by the door.

"Yes, Ma'am," was all she could say before the door was slammed shut. Hermione gulped and wandered into the bedroom as she realised she as alone for the first time. She knew the called her "the girl whom no one sees" when she was in India and she couldn't help but in that moment want to change the label given to her, too: "the girls who's left alone." As that was the truth. She was alone. Her father had left her. She was no longer in India but England. Her guardian was a stranger she had only ever heard of by name, who didn't even bother to greet her when she arrived in all sense of the word, Hermione was alone now in the world.

Hermione tried to sleep, but her nap on the train as well as the wind hitting against the window in a frightful manor kept her awake, that is why she found herself curled up on one of the squashy red armchairs by the fire in her living room, an ugly ginger cat had joined her though she had no clue where from, it sat happily asleep on the sister armchair as Hermione read. That was when she first heard the sound. It was low, and if it wasn't for the fact she had grown somewhat accustom to the sound of the wild wind as she read she was sure she would have missed it. It was the sound of crying. Someone from far away, but defiantly a cry of someone. Hermione closed her book and looked up startled. She was a sensible girl, but the strange house had gotten the better of her that evening. When she heard the crying sound she automatically thought three thoughts, one after another. The first thought was it was the ghost of her mother, calling her, taunting her. Like her mother subconsciously used to do when she was alive. This thought was quickly wiped from her mind as a second thought came to her, almost as ridiculous as the first. No, it was not her mother's ghost, but her fathers. Though it was him crying out to her because he was now alone, and lost, and cold. This was what she assumed death was like. But like the first this thought was wiped from her brain as a most sensible thought came to explain the outcry. It was simply a servant, unable to sleep like her, they probably got up to make themselves a cup of tea and had burnt themselves on the hot water. Hermione got to her feet yawning, placing the book on her armchair and smiling sleepily at her ginger companion before she shuffled to her bed. Yes that was it, simply a servant making themselves a cup of tea. With this reassuring thought, Hermione slipped off into the land of sleep.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

When Hermione opened her eyes the next morning it was because of the noise she could hear from within her living room. The sound was a mixture of chatter and the noise of someone raking out the cinders from the fireplace. Hermione knew better than to lay in bed and simply got out of the thick duvet. Her bare feet padding on the dark wooden floors as she headed towards the door that lead to her living room, pausing as she got to the doorway, watching the scene in front of her with wide eyes. In her living room she found two people, two servants from their uniforms, both of them seems to be ages with herself, there was a girl with the reddest hair Hermione had ever seen, who was on her knees on the hearth rug, using her wand to rake out the cinders from the fire as she chatted happily to a boy, with large ears and feet who Hermione would swear, if she didn't see him flitting about with ease, would be very clumsy. The boy was setting the small table for Hermione's breakfast. It was after this Hermione realised she was seeing her rooms properly for the first time, last night she was too tired and the shadows had caused her not to get the full effect of the room, by that she meant she had missed the large tapestry that covered the wall next to the door that too her to the rest of the house. The tapestry was the of a forest scene with witches and wizards all dressed in black cloaks lazing under trees, they seems to be shooting sparks from their wands, the sparks twirling and forming animal shapes, she could see the turrets of a castle in the distance of the grand tapestry. Hermione couldn't help but smile as she gazed at it, something about it made her feel as if she was in the forest with them.

"Ah, you must be Miss Hermione!" She heard, and turned to see the red headed girl get to her feet, a wide smile upon her face, "Me names Ginny, Ginny Weasley," She spoke good naturedly as the boy turned to look at Hermione too.

"Mornin' Miss," he spoke quietly, it seemed the girl was the chattier of the two, "I'm Neville Longbottom" Hermione nodded her head toward them both as a way of greeting before she moved over to the large windows to allow them to finish their jobs. Out of the window she could see a great stretch of land that seemed to go on for miles and miles as far as she could see. There was something strange though about it. The land had no trees on it what so ever, Hermione thought it look rather like an endless, dull, purple coloured sea.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing to the land.

Neville turned his head and Ginny rose to her toes to peer at what Hermione was pointing to. "That there?" she asked, as she too pointed to the land.

"Yes."

"That's th' moor, that is." Ginny said with a good-natured grin, glancing at Neville before turning to the girl once again, "does tha' like it?"

"No," Hermione answered bluntly as she gazed across the purple sea she knew to be the moor, "I hate it."

This caused Neville to let out a laugh and shoot Ginny a look who rolled her eyes at him, "That's because tha'rt not used to it," Ginny told the girl with a shrug as she moved to help Neville with the breakfast.

"Miss, you probably think it's just too big an' bare now," the boy told her, "but tha' will like it when it blooms. Everyone does."

"Do you two like it?" Hermione couldn't help but ask, turning to look at the odd two she shared the room with, the boy simply nodded before they all heard a bell ringing from somewhere in the Manor.

"That's Mrs. McGonagall's bell, I need to go. It was nice to see you Miss." Neville said with a small bow of his head before he exited the room, leaving Hermione with Ginny.

Hermione looked at Ginny and asked her once again, "Do you like the moor?"

"Aye, that I do" answered Ginny, as she cheerfully continued on with her work. "I just love it. Th' moor is naw bare. Its fair covered in gorse and heather, and there's such a lot of fresh air. An' th' sky looks so high an' th' bees an' skylarks makes such a noise as they hum an' sing. My adopted brother, Harry, goes off and plays on the moor for house and hours. Eh! I wouldn't live away from th' moor for anythin' in th' world."

Hermione listened to the red headed girl with a puzzled expression. She was wrapped up in everything the girl said but was confused by the bluntness in the way she spoke. In India no servant, whether elf or witch or wizard, would dare to talk to Miss Hermione in such a way. They were servants, they knew their place in the house hold, but here in England it seemed as if Ginny and the other servants talked to those they served as if they were their equals. In India servants were commanded to do things, so Hermione had not grown up to ask for what she wanted. The words, "Please" and "Thank you" were words she did not feel the need to say to a servant. Looking upon the girl who was probably the same age as she was, give or take a year or two, Hermione had the strangest feeling that things were going to be very different from what she was used to in India. "Ive never met a servant like you," Hermione told her, speaking honestly as she moved away from the window. She wasn't sure if the comment would offend the girl or not so she kept the eye on her wearily in case she shouted at Hermione for the rude comment.

Ginny however let out a good natured laugh, she didn't seem at all offended by Hermione's comment as she leant on the back of one of the elegant chairs that had been placed in Hermione's rooms. "Aye! That I know," she spoke with a shrug, "if there was a grand misses at Malfoy Manor I should never have even been allowed up th' stairs. I'm too common an' I never lost my love of talking Yorkshire at school." Ginny explained, and Hermione couldn't help but nod. She understood that Ginnys place as such a high ranked servant was because her 'Aunt' was dead, before she could ask Ginny the other pressing questions that was on her mind the girl had started speaking again, and though she was a servant Hermione didn't interrupt as that would be rude. "But this is a funny house for all its so grand. It's like there's neither a Master nor a Grand Misses. The ones in charge are Master Snape an' Mrs. McGonagall. Master Malfoy when he is home, he doesn't trouble about anythin' but he is nearly always away. Mrs. McGonagall gave me a position here out o' kindness. I know she could never have done it if Malfoy Manor had been like any of the other big pureblood houses"

Hermione realised that Ginny had come to the end of her sentence and she straightened herself up and looked at the girl, speaking in her spoilt kind of way, "Are you going to be my servant?" she asked, and Ginny shrugged and began cleaning again.

"I'm Mrs. McGonagall's servant," she said simply. "An' she is clearly Mr. Malfoys, but I have been asked to do the housemaid's work in here, an' wait on you a bit. But youre a smart girl. You won't need much waitin' on, right?"

"Aren't you going to help me get dressed then?" Hermione asked, though it sounded a lot more like a command than a question as she turned and walked into her bedroom, heading towards her wardrobe.

From behind her she heard the red headed girl exclaim, "Canna tha' dress thyself?!

"Of course I can," Hermione said, turning to face the girl who stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, "but in India my Ayah dressed me, it is the custom"

Ginny simply gave the girl with frzzy hair and a yellowing complexion an amused look, "Well then, here in England girls dress thyself's, it is the custom."

"Oh," was all Hermione could say, as Ginny moved into the room with Hermione.

"it'll do tha' good to wait on thyself a bit. My mother always said tis fair a wonder grand folks children don't turn out fair fools, bein' washed and took out to talk like they was puppies."

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond to the girl. If she was being honest she was finding it hard to understand the girl, and before she could stop herself she had blurted out, "What is the language you are speaking?" Hermione immediately slapped her hand to her mouth as she realised how rude she must have sounded, to her luck Ginny simply shot her a smile.

"I forgot, you've not heard any Yorkshire, livin' in India an' all." Ginny said, as she moved passed Hermione getting her wand out to make the bed to the standards expected of her at the manor, "Mrs. McGonagall warned me I should be careful with what I said or you wouldn't understand what I was sayin'. But honestly youre not what I expected from you. When I heard you was comin' I thought you'd be darker, but youre more yellow, I'd say."

It took Hermione a full minute to compute what the red head at said, "What!" she yelled, "You thought I was a native! If we were in India I'd – I'd put a snake in your bed for that insult!"

Ginny looked startled, and a reddish colour was seen forming at the base of her neck, "who are you insulting?!" she all but shouted back, causing Hermione to look shocked at the fact she was being shouted back at, "You needn't be so vexed! That's no way for a high born lady to talk!" Ginny simply turned her back on the girl and focused on the bed. Hermione however stood there in silence. She had never had someone shout back at her and suddenly the feeling of utter loneliness washed over her like an ocean crashing onto rocks. She was so far away from everything she knew to be normal and everything that she actually understood. This big house with its strange customs and servants was becoming overwhelming for her. Hermione didn't realise she had started to cry until she heard Ginny say, "Now, miss, I didn't mean for you to cry." Hermione put her hand to her cheek and realised that there was a wetness there. But there was something about the tone of Ginny's voice and the odd accent that made Hermione wipe at her eyes and give her a small smile. Normally she would have started screaming until the problem was fixed, but she was fond of Ginny for some unknown reason and she didn't want the girl to get into trouble from McGonagall, "Come now miss, let's find you an outfit." Ginny put her arm around the girl and move her towards the wardrobe and opened it to reveal the clothes that lay inside.

Hermione frowned as she looked at the clothes and stepped forward to feel the thick warm blue jumper that was closest to her. "These are not my clothes," she whispered as looked in awe at the new clothes in front of her, "All my clothes are black."

"Aye, Miss, your 'Uncle'-" Ginny started, as she picked out a pair of jeans and warm thick socks that went with the jumper Hermione had a hold of.

"These are all much nicer than mine," Hermione whispered as she took the new jumper out, and placed in against her person.

"You should get these on," Ginny answered with a smile, "Mr. Malfoy ordered McGonagall to get 'em in London. He claimed he wouldn't have child dressed in black, wanderin' about like a lost soul. My mother told McGonagall to get you colourful clothes."

"I'm not keen on my black clothes," Hermione told Ginny as she dressed herself, Ginny searching for a pair of boots for Hermione to wear.

Ginny, Hermione quickly found out, loved to talk. The girl seemed to hate silence and was more than happy to yatter on about her life. As Hermione got dressed and sat down to nibble on some toast for her breakfast she found out that Ginny lived in a quirky house called 'The Burrow' with six older brothers, not including her adopted brother Harry who had become an unofficial Weasley after he and Ginny's brother Ronald finished school. If Hermione had grown up under different circumstances she would have perhaps have laughed at Ginny's readiness to talk, but she simply listened to her and wondered once again in awe at the freedom of which she was allowed to talk. "Eh! You should see us all," she said, "All eight of us get together on Sundays. I can't tell you how my mother manages to feed us all, it amazes me. She claims that us playin' on th' moor is what fattens us all. Our Harry, he's 17 like you are, but he has a young pony and owl his calls his own."

"Where did he get that?" Hermione asked.

"He found it on th' moor when it was a baby an' he began to make friends with it. It now follows him about an' lets him ride on his back. Harry's a kinda lad that everyone, animal or human, simply likes him." Hermione, had never really had an animal as a pet but she had always felt she would like one. She glanced toward the armchair where the ugly ginger cat had been the night before, sadly the cat was no longer there anymore. Her thoughts turned from the cat to Harry, she had never truly been interested in anything other than herself, unknown to her this was the dawn of a healthy new mind-set for her.

Ginny seemed to realise when the girl had spoken, that Hermione was not eating much of the substantial breakfast that had been laid out for her, "Ain't you going to eat any more?" she asked.

"I'm not hungry"

"What?" Ginny said, almost amazed that the girl wasn't hungry "I can't see this good food going to waste. If my lot was at this table, they would clean it bare in five minutes!"

"Why?" Hermione asked, food had never been an issue for her so she didn't really understand what Ginny meant, she assumed that it was because there was so many of them not because they didn't have enough.

"Why?" Ginny echoed, "Because unless we was at school we scarcely had enough to eat. We had come to appreciate food and we eat all that we are given."

"Why don't you take this to them?" Hermione suggested.

"It's not mine to take," Ginny answered quietly, causing Hermione to shake her head almost as if she was going to insist that Ginny took the food but the girl kept talking, "An' this ain't my day out. I get to go home on Sundays for my mother's dinners."

Hermione pushed back from the table and nodded in understanding. "What am I going to do today?" she asked, trying to change the conversation to something else.

"I suggest you wrap up warm, the wind can be unforgivin', an' run out an' explore the gardens." Ginny suggested, "It may do you some good, an' it may give you an appetite for your dinner."

Hermione wandered over to the windows as Ginny wandered through to her bedroom to gather a thick winter cloak for the girl. The scene on the other side of the glass was dull and windy, Hermione didn't find it at all appealing to go out in. "Out? You want me to go out on a day like this?"

"Well, if tha' doesn't go out tha'll have to stay in. what had tha' got to do in here but read?" Hermione glanced around the room, when it was prepared it was clear that the thought of amusement had not been in the mind of whomever prepared it. Hermione glanced at the bookcase and shook her head, she should leave that for a day when she had no choice but to stay in. it seemed that the garden was going to be her best option. Ginny handed Hermione a tick grey cloak and a hat she had found in the wardrobe, just as another bell rang out throughout the house that had Ginny looking startled. "Oh now there's Mrs. McGonagall's bell, and I've have to clean all this up first. If I tells you the way, can you find it yourself? There's lots o' flowers in the summer time, but there be nothin' bloomin' now" Ginny seemed to hesitate before she whispered to Hermione, "One of th' gardens is missing. No one has been able to find it in ten years."

"Why?" Hermione asked as she pulled on her cloak. A missing Garden? That just added to the strangeness of the manor she now found herself in.

"Mr. Malfoy had it enchanted when his wife died. He won't let anyone see it. It was her garden you see. So he locked th' door, enchanted it so it could only be found with its key, and hid the key somewhere." Ginny explained as she showed Hermione to her room door, "Now the way out is down the stairs, past the ballroom…"

"I'll find it." Hermione said rather stubbornly, the thoughts of the mysterious garden in her head as she wandered the way Ginny had pointed. Maybe, just maybe she could find the garden. Unravel one mystery of the Manor. At least it would give her something to do on her walk around the gardens.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Hermione had assumed that her 'Uncle' Lucius had left already like Severus had told her and McGonagall, but the girl couldn't be more wrong. Yes the man was planning a trip but he hadn't left for it yet. In fact, he had decided to indulge himself in his memories before he left for a few months. Which was why he found himself in the grand ballroom of the manor. The ghosts of his past waltzing around him, thought his eyes were focused on the window furthest from the door, where he saw her that night. Where he had heard those words that had changed his life forever.

Narcissa Black (as she was known then) was the youngest of the Black sisters, and after her older sisters were married off Narcissa had put her foot down to having the same thing happen to her. She knew she had more sway over her father who had the final say in whom she married, than her sisters did. So when she told him she would only marry for love. She meant it. Which was why she found herself at the party at Malfoy Manor, she had only come because her best friend Jean was engaged to wed the host's best friend and she could not refuse the invitation. So when the strange hunched man asked her to dance, she couldn't quite put her finger on why she said yes to his invitation. Perhaps it was a gleam in his silver eyes, or perhaps it was the sense that it felt right to do so. But that was the dance that started it all. On that day she all but fell for the quiet, studious hunchback with the kindest heart she had even seen in a person. From then on Narcissa found herself behind courted by the man, but no in the way she ever would have expected, which was part of the reason she fell for him so quickly.

Lucius had seen the beauty at Richards engagement party and had done something he never would have, due to the fact most woman turned away repulsed when they saw him, when she had arrived she didn't do anything of the sort. So he chanced his luck and asked her for a dance, which she accepted. Much to his and almost everyone elses surprise.

He had heard Jean talk to Narcissa about him more than once as he courted her, "Cissa, you have been seeing that gloomy Lucius for months now"

"He's simply shy, Jean. I do think Lucius has the tenderest heart I've ever known in a person"

"Silly Cissa. Have you been too busy looking into his eyes, that you've missed the hump on his back?"

"Jean, his soul is pure and I feel he is the most handsome man I have ever met."

That had given him hope, and from that day on he walked across the moors himself, picking the most beautiful flowers he could find as he did until he came across her in her back garden that looked across the moor. He had stumbled upon it by accident the first time, but every day from then on he came back. Narcissa would have a lunch ready for them to eat, and in return he gave her the flowers he picked. They did that for months on end, and as the summer came to an end their love was clear to everyone, though some refused to admit it, so he got down on one knee and asked her to never leave his side.

Lucius was pulled from that happy memory when he heard the quiet, unmistakable voice of a girl coming from a small side door to the ballroom, "A-Are you my Uncle Lucius?"

"Who is there?" Lucius called out, and was surprised to see the young woman step out from the door wearing a long thick grey cloak, a red hat in her hands. She was clearly on her way to the gardens and must have stopped when she heard movement in the room.

"I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger, Sir." She said looking him over, her shoulders relaxing when she saw a glimmer of realisation in his eyes at her name, "Are you my Uncle Lucius?" she asked again. She knew he was, but she had to make sure. She had to put the correct face to the name.

"Yes, I am." Lucius said, using his walking cane to face Hermione who moved further into the room. She glanced at him, glad she was seeing him for the first time in daylight, if it had been at night she may have been scared. The man was hunched over and his cane made a loud noise whenever it was placed on the wooden floor, his face was sour with his lips pulling together to form a tight line, and long blonde almost white hair, but he had kind eyes. His eyes are what gave her the confidence to move further into the room towards him. "Good morning, Child." He said, trying to not look surprised by the fact she didn't seem scared of him. Wary yes, but that was to be expected by the fact she had never met him before and he was now her guardian. She also seemed puzzled by him, but that was all he saw on her expression. No fear. Something that gave him immediate relief.

"A-Are you going to be my father now?" Hermione asked, looking down at the hat in her hands. She knew it was a silly question but she didn't want to replace the memories of her father with this man. It was one of those questions where no matter how stupid it felt to say, it still needed to be said just to hear the answer.

"No child, I am simply your guardian," Lucius explained after he got over the shock of the question asked of him, "Though I feel I am a poor one for any child. I can merely offer you –" before he could continue a small round picture frame had been thrust under his nose. It seemed that after Hermione got the answer she needed to hear she wanted to ask another, not bothering much about the man's conversation.

"Is this my Aunt Narcissa, in this picture?" she asked, noting the way her Uncles eyes clouded over in thought for a moment as he glanced at the waving woman in the picture, Hermione quickly put it back in her pocket, out of sight, this seemed to be what broke him from whatever memory the photo took him too and he blinked thrice before his gaze focused on Hermione again.

"Yes, that is your aunt. Where on earth did you get that picture?"

"It was in my house in India. I brought it with me." Hermione explained, "My father told me all about my mother's friend in England and I wanted to be sure this was her."

"Your mother and my Narcissa…" Lucius started but he couldn't quite finished the sentence, "I'm sorry." And Hermione just shrugged as if to say 'it's no problem'. She understood the man, mainly because she too found it hard to talk about her parents, particularly her father. She assumed that was what was wrong with her Uncle. "Are you lost child?" Lucius asked after a moment, realising Hermione had no real need to have come into the ballroom.

"I think so… Ginny tried to give me directions to the gardens."

"Ah, I see." Lucius said, and he pointed his cane towards the large doors at the end of the room, "Take those doors and go down the main stair case, which you will find easily if you follow the hallway to the left," he explained to the girl who nodded, listening intently to his directions, "I do hope you enjoy the gardens, though there isnt much to see at the moment." He said as a funny sort of goodbye, and turned to leave via the door Hermione had entered in.

Hermione watched him walk towards it. Here was a person she could talk to about death, about her parents, who wouldn't look at her sympathetically or with pity. "Uncle Lucius, what happens to dead people?"

The question was not what Lucius has expected to come from the girl and he couldn't help but stop. Death had been a subject that had fascinated him to the point it was now almost an obsession for 17 years, "Yes… well…" Lucius spoke more to himself, as he turned to face the girl once again, "I guess it's quite natural that you would wonder that." he took in the girl that stood in front of him. Her wild hair, her yellow skin, her too skinny body but those wild hazel eyes he had seen only in one other, she stood there waiting for an answer. "W-We bury them. We put their things away. We remember things they said… we… we talk to them, sometimes… in our minds, of course"

"Can they hear us?"

"And then one morning," Lucius continued having not heard Hermione's question what so ever. To the girl it appeared as if he was getting angry but she did not know why. "When we think we are over them at last, we find ourselves in the ballroom, knowing fully well we have been here all night, and we have to draw the painful conclusion that we have been dancing with our memories once again," he paused, to take a deep breath and a silence fell, something Hermione broke with the simplest 3 words.

"I don't understand."

"Nor will you ever," Lucius said almost bitterly, "They're not gone, you see. Just dead. They live now in our memories," something about what he said caused Hermione to remember something she had heard the servants talk about back in India. She knew ghosts are real, however she had never seen one. Maybe her beautiful Aunt was still around. Maybe in ghost form she could talk to her.

"Is my Aunt Narcissa a ghost now?" she asked carefully not wanting to offend or hurt the man with her question.

"Why, have you heard her?" Lucius demanded, looking intently at the girl who looked scared for the first time.

"I-I don't know," Hermione stammered, "I heard someone crying in the house last night. I've read a little bit about ghosts and been told about them, but I have never seen one." She paused as she watched her Uncle hang his head, "Is my father a ghost now? Does everyone who dies become a ghost?"

"They are only a ghost if someone alive is still holding onto them, child," she heard her Uncle whisper, though he didn't look at the girl.

"Maybe what I heard was my mother. She came back to tell me to be nice so you will keep me." Hermione whispered to herself. If it wasn't for the fact there was only two of them in the echoy ballroom Lucius probably wouldn't have heard the words. Her whisper caused the man to look up at the girl, it was clear that she was scared because she truly felt she had nowhere in the world to call her own.

He looked at her and made sure to not start talking until she looked up at him, "This house is haunted, child. But it is yours to live in as long as I am the master. I offer you my deepest sympathies on youre arrival at the loss of your parents." With that Lucius walked out the room, knowing there was no other worlds he could tell the girl.

Hermione watched the man leave, feeling both comforted that she could call the Manor a place she somewhat belonged to, but also confused by her 'Uncle'. Without thinking she couldn't help but call out after him, "Did my father have any other close friends?" if this was going to be her life now, she wasn't sure if she wanted it. As expected there was no reply and she let out a sigh. She had met her 'uncle'. She wasn't sure what to make of the man, but he was defiantly a lot different than what she had thought up in her mind. To her he seemed lonely, and she could see why. In this house she felt lonely too. It seemed they were both just lonely souls in a big house with locked up rooms. Hermione decided to just continue on with her plans and turned on her heel, taking the route her 'Uncle' had suggested and found her way to the gardens, via the little hallway that passed the kitchen, with ease.

Hermione's thoughts went back to the enchanted garden Ginny had told her about as she wandered past the kitchens towards the big wooden door that she assumed would lead her to the gardens. The door was a sturdy one, with an iron right handle which Hermione rugged on with much effort until it finally creaked open for her. The girl mentally telling herself off for forgetting she was a witch who could use a wand. Hermione stepped out into the sunlight and a small smile tugged at her lips as she found herself at the start of the great gardens, a wide lawn was in front of her but she could see a winding walk with clipped bordered diving it all up. Some of the walks turned off into walled areas on the left and right of the lawn and she could see more walled and hedged areas further down the garden. There was trees, and flower beds, and evergreens that had been clipped into strange animals. There was a large pool with a fountain only 500 meters or so away from her, with its water turning into a mist in the cold air. The only thing that stopped her from fully enjoying the sight was how bare it all looked, with no flowers in the flower-beds. It was all cold and wintery.

Hermione decided to take the winding path to the left, and as she followed it she came to realise there was a long wall with ivy growing over it next to her. She moved closer to the wall and noticed there was a bright red door in the wall. It only took a quick "Alohomora" before the red door opened with ease. A frown appeared on her face as she noticed how quickly and easily she had managed to open the door. This however did not stop her from going into the garden. Hermione was not familiar on how gardens worked in England, and so she was not aware she had entered one of the many kitchens gardens, where vegetables and fruits were grown as they were the closest plots of land to the house.

She was surprised, when she walked through the door that it was one of several linked walled gardens, all of which opened into one another. To her right there was a green door, revealing bushes and pathways that went between dirt that she was sure contained winter vegetables. As she wandered down these walled gardens she noticed the different fruit-trees that had been trained to lie flat against the walls, each garden with a different tree. Thought the same thought popped into her head she got the final one, looking at the red door that marked the end of the kitchen gardens, the place looked ugly and bare, it may look nicer in the summer time when everything was greener, but as of right now she couldn't find anything pretty about it. Just as she went to turn and leave the gardens an old man with the world's longest white beard Hermione had ever seen (which was currently wrapped around his neck like a scarf) walked into the garden, a wheelbarrow with gardening equipment following on behind him as he walked. He was a little startled when he saw Hermione, however once he computed the presence of the girl he gave her a small smile, a gleam in his blue eyes, before he moved into the garden to start to work. "What is this place?" Hermione asked, as she watched him grabbed a shovel from the wheelbarrow.

"One o' th' kitchen gardens," he answered.

"Is that was they are too?" Hermione asked, pointing to the gardens she had just come from.

"Aye, that's what they are. But there is an orchard, an' a maze if tha' wants to explore. But I must warn tha', there's nowt to see."

Hermione seemed happy enough with this answer though she didn't say anything to the man as she simply nodded her head before wandering out the door he had entered from. She wandered down a path looking for the door no one had seen in 17 years. She knew she wasn't a timid person, she was always one of those people who did what she wanted to do without question. She wandered down the path until she reached a taller wall than before, she was near the maze at the bottom of the garden at this point. She had just past the orchard but the wall seemed to extend past that into the start of the maze, as if it held something beyond the orchard. Something secret. Hermione paused and looked up, from the wall she could see the tops of trees, but what caught her eye was a bird with a bright red breast singing cheerfully and loudly. Hermione couldn't help but feel he had caught sight of her and was singing the song for her. Hermione couldn't help but find his friendly little whistle the first small thing of comfort she had found in England. It was then as the little bird sang away to her that Hermione realised that she may be lonely, in the big close house on the big bare more with its big bare gardens. Something like that made the girl feel as if there was no one life in the world but herself. As he finished his song and flew away Hermione couldn't help but think the little bird may live in the enchanted garden, maybe he could be the one to tell her all about it, tell her how to get in. she know she was being nosey, but she didn't have much to do and the story behind the enchanted garden was something she had only ever thought books possessed so she couldn't help but feel drawn to it. There was so many questions she wanted to get answered about it too: why had her 'Uncle' buried the key? If he had loved his wife so much why did he hate her garden? Now she had met him she didn't know what to make of her questions.

Hermione walked back to the kitchen gardens she wasn't that surprised to see the old man before still there, in fact she had been looking for him. He was digging away when she arrived and she wandered over to him to see what he was going. If he knew she was there, he didnt make any indication to know it look like he knew that. Hermione waited a few minutes before she broke the silence, "I saw the rest of the gardens." She told him.

"There was nothin' to prevent thee,"

"I went into the orchards."

"There was no three headed dog at th' door to bite thee"

"I couldn't find the door to the other garden though"

"What garden?" he asked, stopping his digging for the first time since the girl walked up to him.

"The enchanted one," answered Hermione, "I saw trees, or at least the tops of them. And there was this bird, he had a red breast. He was sitting on one of them singing a happy sounding song." Hermione concluded in a matter-of-fact sort of way. though to her surprise the old man's face broke out into a smile, and the gardener looked much different. Hermione couldn't help but warm up to him a little more now she knew of the wonderful smile he possessed. He turned to the door Hermione had just come from and let out a whistle – a low, soft sound Hermione would have missed it if she simply walked by. She titled her head, trying to figure out how this man could make an enticing sound. Before she could ask him how he made the sound, a most surprising thing happened. A fluttering sound was heard and suddenly the same red breasted bird was sitting on the top if the large spade that had been place into the ground.

"Here he is," chuckled the old man, speaking to the bird as if he was speaking to a child. "Where had tha' been, tha' cheaky little beggar?" he teased the bird, "I've not see thee today. Has tha' began preparing for courtin' early this season?"

The little bird put his tiny head to one side as the man spoke, looking up at him with his bright black dewdrop looking eyes. He seemed so confident around the old man, not at all afraid. Hermione couldn't help but feel he was almost like a person, but unlike most people she had met at the Manor (with Neville and Ginny being the exceptions) he seemed so full of life and cheerful.

"Does he always come when you call?" Hermione asked the old man, in almost a whisper. Scared the small beautiful bird would fly away if she spoke too harshly.

"Aye, that he will. I've known him ever since he was a fledgling. He came out th' nest in th' other garden an' when first he flew over th' wall he was too weak to fly back. I looked after him an' we got friendly. When he finally went back home th' rest of his lot had gone an' he was lonely so he came back to me"

"What kind of bird is he?" Hermione asked the man, who seemed almost surprised at her questions.

"Doesn't tha' know?" he asked, and Hermione shook her head.

"No. we didn't have birds like him at all in India" she explained and the man nodded his head in understanding.

"Well he's a robin redbreast an' they're th' friendliest, most curious bird in England. See him hopping about now? He knows were talkin' about him" Hermione couldn't help but think that it was one of the strangest things she had ever witnessed, the look the man gave the little bird, as if he was both proud and fond of the small creature. "He is a conceded, meddlesome little thing that one," the man chuckled, glancing towards Hermione causing her to smile little, "he likes to hear folk talk about him. You'll soon see he is the real head gardener of this place. Chirpin' at me to some see some bush that needs prunin' or earth to be turned."

The robin looked from the old man to Hermione, letting out a series of chirps as if to say, "I know you two are talking about me."

Hermione couldn't help but gasp in amazement, "he understands you?"

"Aye, me and him are grand friends. I thin' he is lonely in his garden so comes an' sees me."

Hermione stepped forward and looked at the little bird, "I'm lonely too," she whispered. She had not known this before today, and something she wouldn't come to realise for a while longer was that because she was so lonely she felt sour and cross with everyone around her.

The old gardener pushed his beard back over his shoulder, as it had fallen down into the dirt, "its not wonder tha'rt lonely. Tha'll be lonelier before it gets better too." The man commented as if he knew something the girl did not.

"What is your name?" Hermione asked the man.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Miss." He answered, smiling at her expression when she heard him full name, "I am lonely here mysel' except when he's with me." He told her honestly, jerking his thumb towards the Robin who chirped in recognition, "he's th' only friend I've got here."

"I have no friends at all," Hermione said quietly, "I've never had any, my Ayah in India didn't like me and apart from the servants no one knew of me in India, so who was I to befriend."

"tha' an' me are a good bit alike," Albus said, "we was woven out of th' same cloth. We're both unusual looking. We've got the same nasty tempers, we both is lonely. I'll warrant, both us have the same love ta learn an' explore tae" this was the plain truth and Hermione had never heard someone speak the truth about her so simply before. Honestly the girl had never thought much about her looks, she knew she wasn't as beautiful as her mother but in that moment she couldn't help but put her hand to her hair. Was she really unusual looking? As for a nasty temper, she wasn't sure if that was true, but if she asked anyone who had served her in the last 24 hours they would agree with the gardener on that front.

It seemed the little robin sensed her discomfort as she suddenly let out a serious of chirps and few to the apple tree closest to Hermione. This sudden movement caused Albus Dumbledore to let out a hearty laugh, "By Merlin, it seems he's made up his mind to make friends with thee," the man explained to her girl, "he's taken a fancy to thee."

"To me?" Hermione said, causing the man to nod his head. Hermione moved toward the tree and looked up at the odd bird. "Would you really want to be friends with me?" she asked the robin, speaking not to the bird as if she would to a person. "Would you? Really?" something unknown to the girl, but Albus noticed straight away caused him to smile, was the girl didn't speak in the condescending commanding tone she used on him but in a tone so soft and eager the gardener wouldn't have been surprised if she was a bird whisperer.

"Tha' said that as nice an' human as if tha' was a child not th' sharp young thing you are. Tha' said it almost like Master Harr' talks to his own, Hedwig, when they're out on th' moor"

"You know Harry?" Hermione asked instantly, turning once again to look at the man.

"Everybody in these parts know o' him. Master Harr' wanders about these parts. I swear very blackberry bush and heather-bell knows o' him"

Hermione had so many questions about Harry but before she could ask any of them to Albus, Robin finished his song and with a little shake of his wings he flew away. He had made his visit and made a new friend. he now had other things he needed to do. "He's gone back to the walled garden, hasn't he?" Hermione asked.

"He lives there," Albus explained, "he lives among th' old rose-trees there."

"Rose trees?" Hermione said, "Are there rose trees in my Aunt's garden?"

"There used to be 17 years ago," Albus said as he went back to his work.

"Aren't you worried about the garden, it could be all dead now with no one looking after it."

"Of course I am." Albus sighed, "But If I so much as set foot in there…"

"Maybe the real reason robin is chirping at you so, is because he wants you to climb over the garden wall and work on her garden!" Hermione told the man stubbornly.

"Maybe he does, but I can't go losin' my job on the advice of a bird, now can I? And the same goes for you lass." Albus warned her, causing her to let out a sigh of defeat.

Hermione looked at the man, maybe he could tell her if the Manor was really haunted or not, as she was sure she had heard something last night. "Do you believe in Ghosts, Albus?" she asked the man who was digging away.

"In an old place like this, there more of them than there are us."

Hermione didn't know what to make of this strange statement, so she decided to be blunt. It seemed to work for everyone else in the strange house so why not her? "I heard someone crying in the Manor last night."

"Tha' could well be a ghost you heard. They like a tall ceiling and a long hallways to swoop around in."

"In India, once, I saw a spirit pull a big dead snake right up out of a basket and make him dance" Hermione told him in her know-it all way.

Albus let out a laugh, "I'm sure you think you've seen just about everything, Missy, except this inside of that garden… and you keep it that way. You hear me? Anyway, I must go on with my work. Get you gone an' play. I've no more time." With that he stopped digging, throwing the spade into the wheelbarrow and walking off, the wheelbarrow following on behind him like before. Leaving Hermione standing there with more questions than ever.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Each day passed almost exactly the same for Miss Hermione Granger. From the moment she arrived at Malfoy Manor, she realised quite quickly how repetitive her days were becoming. Every morning she would wake up and wander through to her tapestried room to eat her breakfast. Every morning she would see Ginny kneeling at the fireplace, cleaning it out with her wand and building it for the fire that would be lit in the evening. Every morning she would see Neville as he placed her breakfast upon the small table, before he had to run off to do the rest of his duties in the house. After her breakfast Ginny would lay out an appropriate outfit for her to wear, and chat away at her as she got dressed. Hermione always liked to spend time around the chatty red-headed girl, finding her voice soothing and there was something about being around the girl that simply made her smile. So once she was dressed Hermione would gaze out the window as Ginny talked, smiling and responding when necessary. She was starting to enjoy looking at the huge moor which spread out on all sides, though Ginny had told her almost every day that the girl would love it when spring finally came. Most mornings she would have to talk herself into moving once she had made herself comfortable by the window. She knew that if she didn't go outside, she would have to stay inside and do nothing all day. So that is the real reason she went outside each and every day.

If anyone had told her this was the best thing for her to do, she would have laughed in their face. But unknown to her, it really was. As she ran and walked around the gardens of the manor she was making herself stronger. The wind that swept down from the moor, many of the staff who saw Miss Hermione on a daily basis claimed had breathed a new life into the young woman, which could be see immediately from how thick her hair was getting, it no longer looking dead but it was wild and alive. Hermione only ran to warm herself up, she had been practicing warming charms but because she had never needed them in India she hadn't quite got the hang of them yet, so the charm seemed to keep fading after only half an hour of her charming herself.

The thing Ginny thought was best, and she told her new friend as much too, was that after spending a few weeks almost entirely outside Hermione seemed to wake up every morning hungry.

She didn't push about the porridge that Neville had carefully place in front of her, but ate it up greedily 'Didn't I tell tha', you'd like the porridge eventually" Ginny teased Hermione who shot her a look and rolled her eyes.

"It tastes nice today. Did cook add honey to it this morning?" Hermione asked, though she felt quite proud of herself for finishing the odd English breakfast she had slowly grown used too.

"Nae honey was added, Hermione," Ginny laughed, finding it funny that her friend only liked it because she claimed there was something different about it, "its th' air of th' moor that's givin' three stomach for tha' breakfast" The girl went onto explained before yattering on about how playing in the gardens are helping her also.

"I don't play in the gardens though!" Hermione told her, as it was true. She didn't play. She looked around at things. There wasn't much else to do really but look. She walked around and around the land, wandering up and down all the paths.

Most mornings she spent looking for Albus Dumbledore, though when she did see him he was always busy working and didn't have time to stop and talk to her. In the afternoons she spend her time wandering along the large walk way on the outside of the gardens with walls, she wandered along the side were the ivy grew thickly and wildly. After about a month of wander up and down the path looking at the walls she seemed to realise there was one section at the end of the wall, the wall furthest away from the house that met with the maze, were the ivy grew thicker and darker than any other part. The other part had been trimmed a little, made to look a little neater though the wind from the moor made the ivy look wild no matter what. Hermione couldn't help but wonder why the end section was left when the rest was so clearly looked after. She paused at the section on her afternoon walk, just as a whoosh of wind came up off the moor causing the ivy to swing from side to side.

Hermione glanced at the winging ivy until a scarlet coloured object shot past her and she gasped, hearing the familiar chirping sound of Albus Dumbledore's robin. She glanced up and on the top of the stone wall was were the small bird stood, looking down at her with his small head tilted to one side. "Oh!" she laughed, realising it was the small bird that was scaring her so, "it's simply you!" it didn't seem odd to her to talk to the small bird as if he understood her, Albus did it and she swore the bird understood what he said, so she knew the bird could understand what she had to say too. Unsurprising to her, she got a reply from the small bird. He twittered and chirped at her as he hopped happily along the wall. Hermione couldn't help but think he was telling her all sorts of things and she listened earnestly. Hermione couldn't help but think he said;

"Good morning, Miss Hermione! Don't you love the wind this afternoon? Life is great today!"

This caused Hermione to laugh as she ran after the small bird who flew a little way in front of her. "You are my most favourite," she informed the small bird as they ran through the maze. Hermione only slowing down when the Robin spread his wings and flew back over the wall, singing loudly as he did. Hermione realised they were back to the wall and she glanced up at it. "This must be the enchanted garden, my aunt's garden." She said out loud to herself, "Robin must live in there. Oh I wish I could see it." She had hunted and hunted many times for the door and couldn't help the frown that appeared on her face as she looked up at the icy covered wall. As her friend wasn't going to fly back over she turned and walked back to the house, muttering to herself, "There must be a door, because Uncle Lucius buried the key." This mystery gave her a lot to think about and she was starting to rather like the fact she had come to Malfoy Manor. Back home, in India, she had always felt it was too hot to do much more than simply read inside, but here she could run around all day. Ginny had said her mother would simply phrase it as 'The moor had blown the cobwebs from her brain'.

This is how Hermione ended all her days, curled up in one of the comfortable armchairs by the fire with a book as Ginny chattered away at her. She and Ginny had become unusually close friends, Hermione would say Ginny was one of 3 friends she had; Robin, Albus and now Ginny.

The closeness was what gave her the courage to ask Ginny the question that had been playing on her mind since she had been told the story about the garden, "Ginny, why does my 'Uncle' hate my aunt's garden?" she asked.

Ginny looked over at the girl from the accompanying armchair. Most nights Hermione asked her to say with her a little longer than necessary and she had no objections to stay with the girl her same age. The only other options she had was her crowded home, which Hermione had recently found was known simply as 'The Burrow', or the servants hall downstairs. With the exception of Neville, Ginny didn't like hanging down there as she was teased by the upper-housemaids and other human staff (the house elf's mainly kept to themselves) as she was a Weasley. Ginny preferred Hermione's company to those nosey servants. The girl seemed to love her stories of her brothers and school and she was loving to hear the story's the girl told her in return. Both girls found comfort in each other and couldn't help but love the bond they were forming.

Ginny looked over at her new friend with a knowing smile, "Still thinkin' about that garden, are tha'?" she asked with a knowing look at her friend, causing Hermione to let out a sigh and nod her head, "I know tha' would. That was just th' was with me when I first heard about it tae"

"Why does he hate it so?" Hermione asked again, noting her friend hadn't actually answered her question.

Ginny tucked her feet under her, having taken her shoes off as she was simply with Hermione and the girl wouldn't mind, trying to make herself more comfortable on the seat, "Ohh, do tha' hear that? Listen to th' wind wutherin' around the house tonight!"

Ginny said, ignoring Hermione's question, "I'm glad I'm nae walkin' home tonight. I could barely stand up on the moor if I was out on it tonight"

Hermione didn't know what 'Wutherin'' meant until she sat silently, she soon understood. She assumed Ginny was talking about the roaring rushing sound that seemed to go round and round, as if there was a giant no one could see banging against the walls and windows trying to get into the house. Hermione couldn't help but feel very safe and warm in her rooms next to the happily dancing fire. "Why does he hate it so?" she asked again, after she listened to the sound Ginny had pointed out. She knew Ginny knew something and she was determined to find out what the girl knew. It was her stubborn side coming through.

Ginny glanced at the girl and let out a sigh, putting down the sowing she had been working on, "Keep in mind," Ginny started, causing Hermione to sit up so she could listen to what Ginny knew, "Mrs. McGonagall has told us not to talk about it."

"There's a lot of things people aren't allowed to talk about here," Hermione commented before she could stop herself causing Ginny to let out a laugh and a nod of her head in agreement.

"Most if 'em are Mr Malfoy's orders. His trouble are none of his staffs' problems, he says." Ginny continued and Hermione couldn't help but nod her head at her explanation.

If she were still in India she would have completely agreed with her 'Uncle', but now in England having befriended Ginny and Neville she couldn't help but slightly not agree. How could someone be master of a house if his problems effected even the lowest of the staff? Ginny seemed to have not have realised Hermione was in her mind thinking things over, things she had never thought before.

"But if it wasn't for th' garden he wouldn't be like he is. You know it was Mrs. Malfoy's garden, she made it when they was first married an' she loved it. They both used to 'tend the flowers together. None o' th' gardeners was allowed to go in. it was their place" Ginny explained and Hermione nodded her head, as she understood. If she had something as special as the garden sounded she would want to keep it as hers if she could. "There was an old tree with a branch bent like a seat on it. An' she made her roses grow over it an' she used to sit there tae read, or admire the garden. But one day when she was sittin' there th' branch broke an' she fell on th' ground an' was hurt so bad that next day she died." Ginny sombrely told Hermione who let out a gasp, she couldn't believe something so horrid could have happened to her Aunt. "That's why he hates it. No one's never gone in since, an' he won't let anyone talk about it." Ginny concluded, before turning to go back to her sowing.

Hermione was glad she had given her sometime to think over what she had just been told. She couldn't go back to her book, much like Ginny did her sowing, instead she focused on the dancing flames of the fire, listening to the wind 'wutherin'' around the manor. To her it seemed even louder than normal, but the longer she listened she started to hear something else within the wind. At first she did not know what it was, only that it was different from the wind. It was a strange sound – it reminded her of the sound she heard on her first night at the manor, it sounded like crying. Hermione couldn't help but turn to Ginny as she realised this, "Do you hear someone crying?" she asked her friend.

Ginny looked up suddenly, confused by her friends question; "no," she anwered, "Its th' wind. Sometimes it sounds as if someone lost on th' moor an' wailin'. It's got all sorts o' sounds."

"But Ginny," Hermione said, "the sound is inside the house – down on of those long corridors I'm sure!" to Hermione's luck, just as she voiced her thoughts a door somewhere nearby opened and a great rush of a draft blew along the passage right outside Hermione's door, which was forced open with a crash causing both the young mistress and her friend to jump to their feet. Instantly a loud crying sound was heard plain as day and Hermione turned to Ginny, waving her hand so the candles re-lit, excited that her point was being made. "There! I told you! It's someone crying!"

Ginny, still a little amazed at the ease that Hermione had re-lit the candles, but she hurried to shut the door, making sure to wave her wand over the lock so it was properly shut. Before she did both of them heard the loud bang from further down the passageway, as if a door was quickly being forced shut and everything went quiet once again.

"It was th' wind." Ginny said stubbornly, as she faced Miss Hermione again, who simply crossed her arms and eyebrow raised in disbelief. How could Ginny not believe her, they just got given proof of the crying sound right then and there. It seemed Ginny could read her expression as she added quickly, "an' if it wasn't, it was probably Lavender Brown, the maid. She's had th' toothache all day and she's a bit of a drama queen." Hermione accepted her answer with a nod, but did not believe her one single bit. There was something Ginny was hiding from her and she was determined to find out what.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

The next day Hermione's normal routine was interrupted by a down pour of rain which prevented her from going out into the gardens. She had made it her mission to find the door to the enchanted garden. Hermione sighed from her seat by the window, the moor on the other side of the glass was hidden behind grey mist and clouds. "What do you and your family do at The Burrow when the weather is like this, Ginny?" She asked the red-head who was flitting round the room.

"Try to keep from under each other's feet mostly," Ginny answered with a grin at her friend who smiled back, turning away from the window and going over to help the girl place the last of the breakfast plates onto the silver tray Neville had brought them in on. Ginny made sure not to comment on this helpful nature of Hermione's but kept talking instead, "Eh! There does seem a lot of us then. Mother and father are a good-natured pair, but they gets fair annoyed at us all. Father escapes ta his garage, does some tinkerin', the rest o' us tries to keep out the way. Harry, he doesn't mind th' wet. He grabs his broom and goes out, just th' same as if th' sun was shinin'. He claims he sees things on rainy days tha' doesn't show when it's fair weather. He once found a wild Crups pup half drowned in a hole and he brought it home in th' bosom of his shirt to keep it warm. Its mother had been killed nearby an' th' hole was swum out an' the rest o' th' litter was dead. He's got it at home now. The thing is Ronald's best pal. He found a half-drowned young owl another time an' bought it home, too, an' befriended it. Its names Hedwig, an' she hops an' flies about with him everywhere."

Hermione had come to love Ginny's chattering ways, in fact she had come to miss it when Ginny had to leave in the evenings or go off to do other work. Ginny had tales to tell about everything in her life, they were quite different to the ones Hermione's Ayah used to tell her in India. If it was for the girl standing across from her telling her the story's there was no way Hermione would have believed there was a small farm like house on the edge of the more with 8 Children in it, though most of them now had grown up, all of whom barely had enough to eat. Ginny's siblings and their partners all seemed to tumble about and amuse themselves, Hermione particularly enjoyed hearing about some of the antics the twins got up too, but as a whole the reminded her a little of a litter of rough, good-natured collie puppies. Hermione was drawn to two people in particular in Ginny's stories, two people she hoped to one day meet. Ginny's mother, Molly Weasley, and her adopted 'brother', Harry Potter. Whenever Ginny told storys of her mother, no matter how many good-natured eye-rolls the girl seemed to do while doing so, Hermione couldn't help but get some sort of comfort from the stories.

"If I had a Crubs or an Owl, I could play with it, or at least have it keep me company" Hermione muttered, "but I dont have anything." Hermione looked up from the where she had been playing with the table cloth, Ginny had gone quiet which was strange for the girl. "What is it?" Hermione asked the girl with the perplexed look on her face.

"Can tha' knit?" Ginny asked,

"Not well," Hermione admitted, and Ginny rose an eyebrow, there was a story there she knew it, but she didn't dwell on that.

"Can tha' sew?"

"No."

"What about readin' I know you like that," Ginny told the girl, and Hermione let out a sigh.

"I've already read all the books in here,"

"That's a pity," Ginny said, "If Mrs. McGonagall let thee go into th' big library, there's thousands o' books in there."

Hermione bit back a smile as a new idea started forming in her mind, and she didn't bother to ask Ginny of the wearables of the library. She had just made up her mind that she would go find it herself. It would give her something to do today. She was not worried about McGonagall seeing her. Mrs. McGonagall seemed to always been in her housekeepers office downstairs. The manor was a queer place and over the last few weeks Hermione had been living there she scarcely saw anyone at all. In fact, there was no one but the servant who wandered the halls, and most of time when her 'Uncle' Lucius was away most of the servants spent their time downstairs where they lived a luxurious life having free range of the large kitchen as well as the large servants hall. Other than when Ginny or Neville came to deliver her meals or do general cleaning and keeping the girl company no one bothered to trouble with the young mistress. Mrs. McGonagall came and checked in on here now and again, but not once did she inquire about what the girl got up to during the day.

Ginny opened the door, the tray floating behind her, to hear a loud 'meow' as the ugly ginger cat came trotting in, going straight to where Hermione was by the window.

"Hello again," Hermione said to the cat, kneeling down and taking him into her arms, causing him to instantly purr loudly.

Ginny stopped to look over the scene a small smile playing on her face, it reminded her a lot of Harry with his wild things, "I see you've met Crookshanks then."

"Whose cat is he?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

"He is half kneazle actually and rather proud of it," As if to agree with the red-headed girl, Crookshanks nodded his head slightly, "He used to belong to your Aunt Narcissa, but for years he's not fond someone he wishes to belong too."

Hermione turned the Crookshanks to look at him, "Belonged to no one, poor thing. Do you wish to be mine?" Crookshank's purr heightened and Hermione couldn't help but smile at this response.

"I'll make sure to tell Neville to add a bowl of warm milk for Crooks then with your evening meal, if he is to now join you in your rooms." Ginny told the girl before she left the room.

Hermione gently placed Crookshanks back on the floor, knowing it was best to give it a bit of time before she left the room to explore. She was very keen to find the library, but she couldn't help but remember what Mrs. McGonagall had told her about the hundreds of rooms with locked doors. She couldn't help but wonder if they were really all locked or not, part of her wanted to know what she would find if she came across one. If there was a hundred, and she had nothing better to do today, why shouldn't she go see how many doors she could look into? Hermione had never been taught to ask permission to do things and though she was learning she didn't know anything about authority, Mrs. McGonagall yet being someone she felt she should ask for permission, the two women butted heads to much.

She opened the door of her room, pausing only to see if Crookshanks wanted to come with her but from the sight of the cat making his way into her bedroom she knew he was getting used to his new mistresses rooms, so she wandered out the room and into the long corridor on the other side. Looking left and right, seeing no one about before she began her wandering. It was a long corridor and Hermione could see it branch off into other corridors and it led her up to a short flight of stairs which led to another corridor. This corridor was a gallery area on the balcony area that looked down over the ballroom, the walls were covered with portraits. Hermione had not thought there could be so many in one area. She walked slowly along the balcony, staring at all the faces most of whom ignored her completely, or looked down at her with wary eyes. She couldn't help but think they were judging her, wondering what a little girl from India was going in their house. The pictures who smiled and waved at her were the ones of children – little girls in thick satin frocks which reached to their feet and stood out about them, and boys with puffed sleeves and lace collars and long hair, or with big ruffs around their necks. Hermione always stopped to look at the children, she couldn't help but wonder what their names were, who they were in relation to the Malfoys, if they liked wearing the odd clothes or not. Near the door at the end of the balcony there was a singular portrait of a plane teenage girl, which reminded her a lot of herself. She wore a green brocade dress, and held a small blue bird on her finger. As Hermione approached her expression soured, but her eyes watched the girl, sharp, curious. "Where do you live now?" Hermione couldn't help but ask the girl, whose expression softened as she realised Hermione had chosen her portrait to talk to above all the rest, "i wonder if you will talk to me, none of the other pictures will."

The girl in the painted looked over Hermione before speaking softly, "They don't trust you, you are not family in their eyes."

Hermione's eyes widened, "But you will?"

"No one ever comes to talk to me, but you did," the portrait smiled, and Hermione couldn't help the girl who she thought was so plain now became very beautiful due to the act, "My name is Annabella, my brother is the Master of the house."

"My Uncle Lucius is your brother, but then why are you not around?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

"I was a bastard child, we were step brothers. But around the age you are now I died. He never liked me, Lucius, but he still hung my portrait in here so I can see the dances, not that there has been many over the last few years, but I am grateful of him for that."

Hermione couldn't help but frown, yet another ghost to add to the house. She liked Annabella, she seemed like she could be someone Hermione could start a friendship of sorts with. "May I..." Hermione paused, looking at the girl, "May I come back and talk to you again? I am hunting for the library you see, but when I am less busy could I come?"

"I wouldn't be opposed to the company now and again, many here ignore me due to me being born from another woman, I am glad you are not prejudice to that." The girl smiled, and Hermione couldn't help but smile. She had made an ally of sorts, perhaps Annabella could, in time, help her discover the mysteries of the house. With a wave of her hand Hermione moved on, continuing her exploration of the grand Manor.

Hermione was sure no one had ever spent a morning quiet as strange has she had. It seemed as if there was no one at all in the huge Manor but little old her, wandering up and down corridors, through narrow passage ways where it seemed to her that no one but herself had ever walked down. Since so many rooms had been built, once upon a time someone must have walked them to get to their rooms, but as still and quiet as it was she couldn't quite believe that to be true. It wasn't until she climbed to the third floor that she started testing out doors, whispering 'Alohomora' on each door as she past though none of them budged until she came to one near the end, almost directly above her own rooms. When her wand touched the handle of the door, it swung open slowly and heavily, a low creek following it. For a moment Hermione felt a ice cold wave of fear shoot through her, but she pushed that to the side at the curiosity of what was on the other side of the door. The door lead her to a big bedroom, the size of both her rooms put together. There was embroidered hangings on the wall, much like hers, but near the door the hangings had been pushed up to reveal a small door. This caused her to gasp, there was secret doors in the rooms. Hermione made a mental note to check her own rooms for those once Ginny left her that evening as she moved into the room. A broad window with looked out upon the moor: and over the mantel was another portrait, but it was empty. Hermione recognised the background though, it was the one Annabella was painted in, "Perhaps Annabella used to sleep here."

"I see you have found my rooms," Hermione turned to see the smiling face of her new friend.

"I hope you don't mind?" Hermione told her, feeling slightly guilty of snooping. Annabella shook her head and laughed.

"Not at all, maybe when you start your season you could as my brother to move you to this room. Your lady's maid can sleep next door. It be nice to have my bedroom lived in again,"

Hermione simply nodded her head, not knowing what she meant by 'your season'. Instead she looked at the door the girl had indicated, and moved towards it. On the other side was another bedroom set up, this one less grand but still a nice looking bedroom. Perhaps she could move into these rooms, only if she could get Ginny as her lady's maid. She felt that would make her life interesting.

From these rooms she moved back to the hallways and opened more and more doors. Hermione couldn't help but think this upper section of the wing was for a young mistress at some time, she had seen a lady's sitting room, were the hanging all round were embowered velvet, a study were there had been a cabinet were a hundred little elephants made of ivory with many intricate details etched into them stood. Hermione traced a few with her finger before she got bored and turned just in time to hear a tiny rustling sound. It made her jump slightly wand at the ready, and look over at the sofa by the fireplace that backed the one in the lady's sitting room next door. In the corner of the sofa there was an upturned cushion, where Hermione could see a hole, and out of that hole a small head peeped out with large ears and a pair of curious black eyes. As Hermione slowly approached them she saw the grey little mouse was not alone. Six baby mice were cuddle up near the mouse, causing Hermione to smile.

"You know," Hermione told the mouse, whose head titled as she talked, "if it wasn't for Crookshanks I would have brought you back to my rooms and looked after you, but I feel you are safer from him up here."

From nearby a grand clock started to chime the hour, Hermione glanced its way and decided she best try to get back to her rooms. two or three times she got lost by turning down a wrong corridor but eventually she found her way back to her floor once again, though she knew she was some distance from her rooms and did not know exactly where she was. "Oh Merlin, I believe I have taken a wrong turn once again," she exclaimed, standing at the end of a short passage, a tapestry on the wall in front of her. "I don't know which way to go, everything looks the same and there is no one to help me back to my rooms." It was while she stood there, silently fuming at the lack of staff bustling about to help her, that she heard it once again. It was another cry, but not quite like the one she had heard last night with Ginny. This one was a quieter one, softer, shorter. One of an agitated child's whine muffled by the walls. "That's closer than it was last night," Hermione whispered, her heart beating faster at the possibility she might have found out what was making the sound, or close to meeting it, "its someone crying." She put her hand out to steady herself, but sprang back, feeling rather startled. The Tapestry was covering a good which fell open at her touch.

Before she could explore it there was a sound from behind her and Hermione turned to see Mrs. McGonagall approaching her with a set of keys in her hand, she seemed very cross. "What on earth are you doing here?" she demanded, as she took Hermione by the arm and pulled her away, "what did I tell you?"

"I-I turned round the wrong corner," Hermione tried to explain, "I didn't know which to go and I heard someone crying, so I thought I'd make sure they were okay." If Hermione thought she hated the woman dragging her long, she hated her more when the woman spoke.

"You didn't hear anything of the sort," the housekeeper said sharply, and Hermione rolled her eyes she knew what she had heard, "You come along back to your own rooms or I'll make sure you are locked in." With that the woman half pushed, half pulled the young woman up another passage and down another until she pushed her in the door to her own rooms.

"Now," Mrs. McGonagall said to the sour looking girl, "You stay where you're told to stay, or you'll find yourself locked up, a lock even you can spell your way out of." She made sure to add, seeing the gleam in the girls eye and knowing what she had overheard Ginny talking to Lavender about Hermione's magic ability, "The master had better get you some kind of governess, same as he said he would. Youre one that needs someone to look sharp after you. I've got enough to do." With that she went out the room, making sure to slam the door behind her. Hermione let out a frustrated scream, causing a nearby glass to smash. Crookshanks came out the room and wandered over to the girl as she collapsed down on the hearth rug, rubbing his face against her arm trying to comfort her as she wiped away frustrated tears.

"There was someone crying Crooks, I swear. There was someone crying." She told the cat and the look he gave her made her believe he believed her. Hermione had heard the crying twice now, and she now was determined to find out more about it. As she sat with her new familiar she thought over her day so far, it had been a rather enlightening one. She wondered if perhaps one day her uncle would let her move into Annabella's rooms, she would love to have the portrait to talk to. She settled with Crookshanks, thinking perhaps one day, when she was older and was introduced to society here in England she could ask to be moved to the rooms upstairs. Yes, she could wait. Until then she had enough things to keep her mind on. The garden, and the source of the crying. She was focusing her energy on those at the moment.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

The rain remained for a good week much to the dismay of Hermione. Mrs McGonagall had not forgotten that Hermione had went snooping and instructed Ginny to sit in the rooms with Hermione and keep her company. It wasn't so bad, the two girls chatted a lot about everything they could think of and Hermione could say with absolute certainty that Ginny was her best friend and perhaps she was hers, there was one day when Neville joined them and the three of them played card games all day while Hermione's new familiar snoozed by the fire. Though when Hermione opened her eyes the morning after the rain departed she couldn't help but jump from her bed and rush towards the window in her room in excitement, smiling at the view and calling Ginny, as she heard her mulling about in the room next door. "Ginny, look at the moor! Look at it!" she exclaimed.

The storm had ended and the grey mist and clouds had been swept away in the night by the howling familiar wind. The wind itself seemed to have stilled also, as if it knew everyone on the moor would want to appreciate the beauty and calm after the storm, and it did not disappoint with leaving a brilliant, deep blue sky in its wake to completely the beautiful picture of the moor. Hermione had never seen a sky so blue before and stared at it in awe. It reminded her of a deep cool blue of the ocean, it seemed to almost sparkle like water too in her mind. The moor itself seemed to look softly blue instead of its normal purple-black or dreary grey colour. This was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. "Aye," Ginny chuckled as she entered the room, wondering what the girl was talking about, "Th' storms over for a bit. It does like this at this time o' th' year. It goes off in the night like it was pretendin' it had never even been here at all, an' never planin' on comin' again. It will. That's because th# springtime's on its way." Ginny paused before adding, "It's a long way off yet, but it's comin'"

"I thought perhaps it just always rained in England." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Eh! No!" Ginny exclaimed, sitting down next to Hermione by the window, "Nowt o' th' soart!"

"What in Merlin's name does that mean, Gin?" Hermione asked, trying not to laugh at the weird phrase from her friend's mouth. In India Hermione had heard some of the natives speak different dialects which only few people understood, so she was not surprised when Ginny used words she didn't understand. However unlike India, Hermione was interested in learning the odd words Ginny came out with, not that she had enough nerve to ask her friend yet. She wanted to see if there was a book on Yorkshire first.

Ginny laughed good naturedly at her friend's question, "Oh there I go," she laughed, "talking broad Yorkshire again like Mrs. McGonagall said I mustn't." Hermione joined in with the giggles at this, "'Nowt o' th' sort' means 'Nothing-of-the-sort'" Ginny explained to Hermione once they stopped their laughter, "but it takes to long to say it." Hermione rolled her eyes at this remark, "Yorkshire's the sunniest place on the earth when it is sunny. I told thee tha'd like th' moor after a bit. Just you wait till you see th' gold-coloured gorse blossoms an' th' blossoms o' th' broom, an' th' heather flowerin', all the purples bells, an' hundreds o' butterflies flutterin' an' bees hummin' an' skylarks soarin' up an' singin'. You'll want to get out on it as sunrises an' live out on it all day like Harry does!" Ginny told her, before holding a hand out to her friend. Hermione took it and the two girls walked through to the little living area for Hermione.

"Could I ever get there, do you think?" Hermione asked, a little wistfully as she sat down and started to eat her breakfast.

"I don't know," Answered Ginny truthfully, "these last few weeks has done wonders for thee, but tha's never used tha' legs for an extended walks, it seems to me. Tha' couldn't walk five mile, yet. Its five mile to The Burrow" Ginny added to the girl.

"I should like to see your home one day, Gin," Hermione told her off handily as she took large spoonfuls of porridge. She was simply in the company of Ginny she didn't need to act that lady like around her.

Ginny stared at her friend for a moment, and if Hermione had glanced up at that moment she would have sworn she could see the cogs turning in Ginny's brain as she thought of something. With a flick of her wand the polishing brushes began to rub down the grate, and Ginny sat down on the arm chair she normally sat in (when Crookshanks hadn't claimed it) to start mending one of Hermione's woolly knee high socks. In that moment she was thinking two things. The first was; she would very like to one day invite Hermione to Sunday lunch at The Burrow, the whole atmosphere would be great for the girl and her mother would love to meet the girl. However she knew she would have to wait a little longer till the girl built up her strength before she could do that. The second thing she couldn't help but think was that the plain faced girl who she had first met did not look quite so sour any more.

"I'll ask my mother about inviting you to a Sunday lunch," she told Hermione who grinned at her, "She's one o' them that nearly always sees a way to do things. But she'll want thee to walk with me across the moors though, walk up an appetite." A look of determination flitted across Hermione's face and Ginny knew, one day, when Hermione eventually joined them for Sunday lunches (once you go to one Molly Weasley invited you to all of them) she would always walk, like Ginny did. Something Ginny was looking forward too, sometimes the walk could get a little lonely and she knew with Hermione by her side it would never be boring. "I'm off there today, its my day off" Ginny explained to Hermione who nodded, "I'll get mother to talk to Mrs. McGonagall, she thinks a lot o' my mother you see."

"I like your mother," Hermione said.

"I should think tha' did" agreed Ginny.

"I have never met her" Hermione added.

"No, tha' hasn't" replied Ginny as she stopped her work to rub the end of her nose a little as if puzzled for a moment. She turned to look at her friend before saying simply, "She's that sensible an' hard workin' an' good-natured an' clean that no one could help likin' her whether they'd seen her or not."

"I like Harry too," Hermione added, "And I've never seen him."

This caused Ginny to laugh, "I've told thee that th' very birds likes him an' the rabbits, so o' course you like him. I wonder," Ginny paused to stare at Hermione as she finished her breakfast and cleared it away onto the silver tray with a flick of her wrist, "what Harry would think of thee."

"He wouldn't like me," Hermione said in her stiff, cold little way, looking down at her fingers, "not many people here do."

Ginny watched Hermione in a reflective sort of manor as the girl settled herself in the armchair opposite her, it seemed she was in no real hurry to get onto the moor now their conversation had started up, "how does tha' like thyself?" she inquired after a moment, really quite curious to know the girls answer.

Hermione hesitated for a moment and thought over the girl's question, "Not at all – really," she answered honestly, "but I never thought about it before"

Ginny smiled a little at the second part of the girls answer, "mother asked me that once," she told Hermione, "she was starting the wash tub up with some spell only my mother would know, an' I was in a bad temper an' talkin' ill of folk in my year at school, an' she turns round on me an' says: 'tha' young vixen, tha'! there tha' stands sayin' tha' doesn't like this one an' tha' doesn't like that one. How does tha' like thysel?' it made me stop talking and laugh." This caused Hermione to smile and shake her head. Ginny's mother sounded like a sensible person whom she was looking forward to meeting one day.

Ginny accompanied Hermione down the hall, both of them buttoning up their cloaks, Hermione's being the grander of the two, and putting bobble hats on their heads. Hermione placing a burgundy one Ginny's mother had made for her last time Ginny went home on her head. She had been ever so grateful for the gift, it was the first one she had gotten from someone that had meant something to her. The moment the two girls parted Hermione ran round and round the fountain in the flower garden ten times, feeling much like a child instead of the young adult she was meant to be. She counted the times carefully, deciding if she wanted to be strong enough to walk with Ginny she needed to do this every time she went out, and when she had finished she felt ready for her day back in the gardens. Hermione paused to take a deep breath in of air as she looked around at how fresh everything looked. Before turning on her heel and headed straight towards the kitchen-gardens where she was hoping Albus would be. To her surprise and delight he was in there, along with another gardener and two elf's who helped in gardens. Much like the weather had cheered up Hermione's mood, it seemed to have done the same with Albus in her opinion. As soon as she wandered over to him, he spoke to her "springtime's comin'," he told her, "Cannot tha' smell it?"

Hermione sniffed the air and nodded her head, she swore she could, "I smell something nice, it's fresh and damp but in a good way" she told him.

"That's th' good rich earth," he told her, digging away into the soil. "its glad when plantin' time comes. In the winter its got nowt to do." He paused to look at her a gleam in his eye, "Tha' should see th' flower gardens things will be stirrin' down below in th' dark now. Soon thee'll see bits o' green spikes stickin' out o' th' earth"

"What will they be exactly?" she asked softly.

Albus stopped his digging and leaned on his spade for a moment looking over the girl as he thought, "Crocuses an' snowdrops an' daffydills, most probably. Has tha' never seen them?"

Hermione shook her head, she had never heard of any flowers like that. "Everything was hot and wet and green in India, it was like everything grew over night." She told him, causing him to laugh a little and shake his head.

"Things won't grow up overnight here," said Dumbledore, "Tha'll have to wait for 'em here. They'll poke up slowly, more an' more, an' uncurl a leaf one day an' another the next. An' you will get to watch 'em"

This caused a smile to form on Hermione's face, she liked the idea of that. She was looking forward to watching the flowers grow, "I think I will like that," she told Albus who nodded his head in agreement. He too thought watching that would do wonders for the young miss.

Before either of the odd friends could say anymore a soft rustle of wings in flight could be heard and Hermione turned round to see Robin had come to say hello. He was very chirpy and lively, and he hopped closely to the girl's feet putting his head to one side looking at her slyly. Hermione looked from him to Albus Dumbledore, "do you think he remembers me?" she couldn't help but ask, she had been away a week due to the rain so she wasn't sure.

"Remembers thee!" Albus exclaimed in surprise, "o' course he does! He knows every inch o' these gardens, let alone th' people. He's never seen a little witch like thee here before, an' he's bent in findin' out all about thee. Tha's go no chance hiding anythin' from him"

"Do you think there are things stirring down below in the garden where he lives?" Hermione inquired.

"What garden?" grunted Dumbledore as he turned to start working again, his expression souring.

"The one where the old rose-trees are." She couldn't help but ask, mainly because there was still so much unknown about the garden she so wished she could find. "Do you think the flowers are dead, or do some still come alive each year? Where there ever any roses or did I make that up?"

"Ask him," Albus said with a nod of his head to the bird by her feet, "he's the only one who knows. No one has seen inside it for over 16 year."

Hermione's eyebrows raised at this news. 16 years was a long time for a garden to be abandoned. With a slight nod of her head to Albus she walked away, slowly thinking over everything she had been told. This enchanted garden was something she had come to like, even though she hadn't seen it yet, much like Harry and Ginny's mother. To her she was starting to feel she liked a fair lot of things – which the few people and things she did like were a lot to someone like her who didn't like a lot. Hermione was counting Robin as a person in her mind when it came to people she liked.

She went about her normal walk around the gardens, finishing by entering the maze knowing exactly were to walk to find the long, ivy-covered wall where she could see the tops of trees. Robin made an appearance on her walk. Hermione turned on her heel instantly when she heard the chirp and twitter at the end of the row. Robin was perched carefully in the ivy, as if waiting for her, though he was acting as if he had not been following the odd witch all morning. But she knew, oh she knew and she was filled with delight her hands trembled slightly at the thought he remembered all about her. "You did remember me!" she cried out, hurrying towards the small bird.

He chirped, and talked, and coaxed and hopped all about, as excited to see her as she was to see him. His red waistcoat was like satin and he puffed out his tiny breast even further and Hermione couldn't think when she had ever seen a bird so magnificent. She was so surprised he let her get as close as she did, but he knew she would never put a hand out to reach him or do anything to startle him in the tiniest way. he knew because he may as well be a person – only he was nicer than any person in the world could be. And she was so happy that she could scarcely breathe. She laughed and followed him as he took flight, round the maze and stopping by a flower bed on the outside where the maze met the moor. Hermione paused her running and looked at where he stopped. The flower-bed was not quite bare. Yes, it was bare of any flowers, but due to it being on the cusp of the moor the gardeners had wanted the land to flow into the manors gardens so there was wild shrubs and bushes tucked away at the edge that met the moor. This is where Robin seemed to be hopping about the most. Hermione moved closer getting to her knees as she noticed a pile of freshly turned up earth. He stopped on top of it and started to peck at it as he looked for a worm to eat. It seemed as if someone had recently turned up this earth but Hermione had no clue as to who would have done something like that. she poked at the earth as it was clear Robin wanted her to know something under this earth, but she had no clue what, but after much poking about she finally felt something under the soil. As if something had been buried there. Taking her wand out, she summoned the object to her. It was an old key, made of rusty iron or brass, she wasn't sure, but it weight a lot. Hermione got to her feet in awe and almost a fearful expression as she held the key in her hand. "Perhaps," she whispered to herself, "Perhaps this is the key to the garden?" she smiled at the thought though another popped to her head, "but the earth was freshly dug, so who put in here for me to find. Do you know Robin?" the small bird simply chirped mysterious at the girl who shook her head fondly at him before she turned on her heel, and ran from the edge of the moor making sure to hide the key in the pocket of the cloak. If Hermione had turned she would have seen the dark haired boy with bright green eyes smiling at her, his hands covered in dirt, and owl on his shoulder. But she never turned around so she never would know he was the one who placed the key in the whole, on Robin's orders of course.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie as was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Hermione looked over the key for quite a long time. She had found a comfortable seat at the base of a large tree just to the sides of the gardens. As she sat she turned it over and over, and thought about everything she knew about the enchanted gardens, and the mystery about it. Hermione was not a child who had been trained to ask permission about things. As she sat all she could think about was if the key was the one that opened the enchanted garden. The one who showed the door and allowed the door to be opened. Now she had the key wondered if she could find the door. Oh how she wanted to see what was on the other side of the wall the ivy grew on, she wondered what had happened to the old rose-trees. the whole mystery of it all made her feel the garden must be different than all the other places she had been to in the gardens, it didn't help the something strange had happened to her 'Aunt' in there 16 years ago. Besides she liked the idea of having somewhere in this house that she could go to every day and simply shut the door behind her, where she could speak her mind about whoever she wanted whenever she wanted. She wanted a place where she could hid, where she could make plans and write them down, one would know any of this, they would think the door was still locked and the key was buried deep in the earth. The idea of all that made her happy.

She felt as if in the big house of with a hundred mysteriously closed rooms, all by herself, where she had nothing to do but try to amuse herself and set her imagination alight. Albus of course would claim that the fresh, strong, pure air from the moor had also given the girl a new lease of life. Ginny and Neville had witness how it had given the girl an appetite, and even Hermione knew the fighting the wind every had stirred her blood and caused a flush to her cheeks as well as her hair to flow now in long brown waves down her back than the rats nest it was when she arrived. Getting to her feet, Hermione made sure to put the key safely in the pocket of the dress she was wearing under her cloak, glancing once more at the gardens before she made her way back to the Manor, she had made her mind up that she would always carry the key with her for two reasons, the first being if she comes across the door one day she would be ready, and second if she had it on her no one would accidently come across the key in her rooms and ask questions she didn't know how to answer just yet.

Hermione learned that evening that Mrs. McGonagall had allowed Ginny to sleep the night at The Burrow if she promised to flu back first thing in the morning, which she did. Her cheeks a redder than ever and in the best of spirits, much to the amusement of Hermione. "I got up a four o'clock," Ginny told her friend when she entered her room, surprised to see Hermione already up. Hermione smiled and let Ginny talk way happily. She seemed to be full of stories and delights of her day home. It was clear her mother had been glad to see her and they had got the baking and washing all done and out the way before lunch was even served. "th' house smelt o' nice, clean hot bakin' an' there was a good fire, an' all my brothers loved me being home. Harry even claimed our little home was good enough for any king." In the evening they had all sat around the fire and talked, Ginny helping her mother as she started her batch of jumpers for the Christmas to come, promising to make one for Hermione. Ginny had told her family all about her queer friend up at the manor and all the story's Hermione had told her. "Eh! They did like to hear about you," Ginny said, "they wanted to know all about tha's life and about th' way you got here. I couldn't tell 'em enough."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at this, "I'll have to tell a great deal more then, before your next day out," she told her friend, "so you will have more to talk about. I'm sure the twins will love to hear about riding on elephants and Bill and Charlie sound like a pair who would love to hear the stories of officers going hunting tigers.

"Oh Merlin!" Ginny cried in delight, "They would love to hear stories like that! Would you really tell me them? Oh wow!"

Hermione paused her breakfast to ask the one question she had been dying to ask from the moment Ginny started talking, "Did- Did your mother and Harry like the stories about me?"

Ginny smirked a look Hermione didn't quite understand but she one day would be seeing a lot of whenever Harry was mentioned, "Harry couldn't believe some o' th' things I told him about you, he is far excited to me thee one day," Ginny told her, causing a faint red tinge to appear on Hermione's face as she heard this, "but mother, she was put out about your seemin' to be all yourself like. She said, ' Hasn't Master Malfoy got no governess for her, nor no nurse?' and I said, 'No, he hasn't, though Mrs. McGonagall says he will when he thinks of it, but she says he mayn't think of it for two or three years'"

"I don't need a governess," said Hermione sharply, "I am ahead in all my studies, I just need to take the official exams."

"I know miss, but mother feels you ought to have a woman to look after you, an' she says: 'Now, Ginny, you just think how you'd feel yourself, in a big old place like that, wanderin' about all alone, an' no mother. You do your best to be the best friend a girl like that needs,' she says, an' I promised her I would"

Hermione gave her a long steady look, "You are my best friend Ginny, my time here would be nothing if I didn't have you!"

Ginny sat up with a smile, before pulling something out her pocket. "I've brought thee a present,"

"A present?" Hermione exclaimed, "Ginny you shouldn't have, your family they need every knut you bring home."

"Oh hush," Ginny said as she settled herself in her normal chair by the fire, "A man was drivin' across the moor, an' he stopped his cart by our door. He had pots an' pans an' self-cleanin' thin's, but father always says no to that, money is tight you see. I saw there was skippin'-ropes, and I thought you haven't had one, all us lasses had skippin'-ropes growin' up. So I'd set a knut a side and get you one. It may help you pass the time in the gardens." With that she presented Hermione the rope quiet proudly. It was an elegantly made skipping-rope, with stripped red and gold handles at each end.

"What's it for?" Hermione couldn't help but ask as she looked down at the ropes with a perplexed expression, this was the first time she had ever seen such an object before.

"FOR!" Ginny cried loudly as she looked at her friend in shock, "Are tha' teelin' me they've not got skippin'-ropes in India?" Hermione shook her head and Ginny let out a 'hump' sound as she put down her sewing. Holding her hand out to Hermione to hand over the skipping-rope, confused the girl handed them over and Ginny got to her feet. "This is what it's for: watch me" and with that she ran to the middle of the room, flicking her wand so the table with Hermione's breakfast stuff moved out the way, with a determined look on her face she took a handle in each hand and started to skip, and skip, and skip, and skip, all while Hermione turned and watched her. Ginny couldn't help but let out a laugh as she stopped, Hermione's delighted but confused face had made her day. "I once skipped to five hundred when I was twelve, but I'm out of practice" Ginny puffed a little, but not as much as she wouldn't have been if she didn't do her weekly walks across the moors or keep up with quidditch with her brothers.

Hermione got up from her own comfy arm chair, feeling a little excited to use the odd rope thing, "It looks like fun," she said, "You are too kind to me Ginny. Do you think it will be odd for someone of my age to be skipping about though?"

Ginny let out a laugh and shook her head, "Who's going to see thee? Albus? Tha's got nothin' to fret about"

This made Hermione feel so much better, her friend spoke some truth, no one was going to tease her for skipping about as a 17 year old, if anything they will be glad she was doing something other than simply wandering around. "Do you ever think I could skip like you just did?"

"You just need to try it!" Ginny urged her friend, "you can't skip a hundred first, but you'll soon mount up. Mother thought it was an excilent idea when I told her. she said, 'nothin' will do her more good than a skippin'-rope, Gin. Its th' sensiblest thing to get a girl who's always out. Let her go out in th' fresh air skippin' an' it'll stretch her legs an' arms an' give her some strength in 'em" It was easy to see that Hermione didn't have much strength in her arms and legs, though in the time she had been at Malfoy Manor she had grown some strength in them. Hermione knew she wouldn't be good at skipping at first but she saw the joy Ginny had while at it so she was excited to try it. "Put on tha' clothes an' you can run o'" Ginny said, flicking her wand so the table went back to its original place, and turning to put the empty breakfast bowls onto the tray by hand.

Hermione turned to leave but then turned to look at her friend, "Ginny," she said softly, "You were the one who bought this for me. Eh, Thank you," she said stiffly mainly because she was not used to thanking people. Hermione held out her hand for her friend to shake, mainly because she wasn't sure what a person was meant to do in that situation.

Ginny gave her hand a clumsy shake as she laughed heartly, "eh! Now an' then you do a queer, old-womanish thing like tha'." She told her friend before she shooed her from the room. Hermione couldn't help but feel a little awkward and happily turned to walk into her room to get dressed for the day. She had become rather good at dressing herself now, and as she pulled the thick but soft burgundy jumper over her head she couldn't help but think how strange English people were, and as much as she loved Ginny she was always rather a puzzle to her. She knew when she first met the girl she didn't like her very much, but now she liked the girl. She didn't know how her opinion had changed, it had never happened before but she was glad it was Ginny who it had happened with.

The skipping rope had surprisingly been a delightful thing for Hermione to have. Once she got over the embarrassment of being a 17 year old with what she had overheard a maid mutter a 'child's toy' Hermione counted and skipped, and skipped and counted. Her cheeks had dawned a lovely rosy pink colour and anyone she passed thought she looked a lot more interesting than she had ever been since she arrived. The day was lovely, the sun was shining, and the wind blew gently bringing the lovely earthy smell that came with newly turned earth. She skipped around the fountain instead of running today before headed off her normal route around the gardens. Hermione skipped round all the gardens and round the orchards, resting every few moments as she wasn't as strong at the moment. She only stopped skipping when she entered the maze, making her way towards were she knew the garden was, hoping maybe Robin would be around. Much to her delight a chirping was heard and a rustle of wings, caused Hermione to laugh as she turned to see him. "Hello you!" she whispered, causing a spirt of chirps to imitate from the bird, "You showed me the key, you should show me the door but I don't believe you know." She told him with a sigh, watching him as he titled his head before he flew from his swinging sway of ivy on the top of the wall.

Natural magic, earth made magic, something Hermione's Ayah referred to a fate was something she believed in, and looking back on the moment she would swear to her dying day that this was a moment of Fated Magic. The moment the robin flew from the ivy the wind picked up a little. It seemed to rush down the little tunnel the maze made, causing the gust to be a little stronger than anything else Hermione had experienced that day. It caused the branches to sway a little. Hermione had stepped to be closer to the robin and if she hadn't she would have missed it. Hermione titled her head, her eyes focused on what was behind the ivy as she swore she saw something. She put her hands carefully behind the leaves, pushing the thick ivy aside, she could feel her heart in her throat as she felt a wooden and iron something behind them. This wasn't wall. The Robin above her twittered away, as if he was as excited as she was at her discovery. Hermione didn't know if she wanted to sob or yell for joy as her finger found the key-hole in the wood. This was the lock of the door which had been enchanted shut for over 16 years. Her hands shaking she put her hands into her cloak pocket and drew out the key. In one moment she found it fitted the key hole perfectly and the wooden door glowed a bright blue for a moment, causing the girl to look away before it dimmed and went back to its normal wood again. Hermione took this as a good sign, this was the enchantment unlocking for her. Taking a deep breath she turned the key, it took her two hands and a lot of effort but eventually it did turn. The moment she heard the unlock click Hermione paused. Taking a deep breath, stepping back to look up and down the long walk way in the maze to see if anyone was coming, no one ever did but today at this moment she couldn't help but double check. No one was coming. She turned her attention back to the door, and pushed on it lightly. Which meant it slowly-slowly opened. The moment she saw the gap she slipped through it, and let the door shut behind her, her back against the wood of it. Hermione looked around the garden, eyes wide, her breathing fast with excitement and wonder.

Finally she was standing inside the enchanted garden.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer I don't Own the secret garden nor do I own Harry Potter (I wish I did) this is my twist on the classic books with Harry Potter characters_

 _in my version of the story they are a lot older with Hermione being 17 (able to do magic) and Harry and Draco 18. I won't stop with the end of the book but keep going as I want to add a romance in there (maybe) but that's only if people like what they are reading ._

Hermione Granger **~ Mary Lennox  
** Draco Malfoy **~ Colin Craven  
** Harry Potter **~ Dickon Sowerby (Harry is adopted into the Weasley family in this story)  
** Ginny Weasley **~ Martha Sowerby  
** Albus Dumbledore **~ Ben Weatherstaff  
** Lucius Malfoy **~ Archibald Craven  
** Minierva McGinagall **~ Mrs. Medlock (she played her in the movie and was perfect!)  
** Narcissa Malfoy **~ lily Craven (dead in this like the book, but she is referred to a lot)  
** Severus Snape **~ Doctor Craven (he is going to be best friend to Lucius and "uncle" figure Draco)  
** Mrs Weasley **~ Susan Sowerby**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Hermione wasn't sure what she was expecting, however anything she could have imagined she knew would not have come close to what she saw right in front of her. The garden was the most mysterious looking place Hermione had ever seen. The high walls on either side of the door were covered with leafless stems of climbing roses. Hermione knew they were roses because they were a particular favourite flower of hers and they were the one flower her Father had insisted be in their gardens in India. The young woman couldn't help but glance worriedly at the stems next to her, they were so matted together they had created a thick second skin to the wall.

Hermione took a deep breath before she slowly moved into the garden, looking all round at what the enchanted garden had to offer her. The ground that wasn't the delicate path was covered with grass, though it was a wintry brown in colour that had Hermione worried a little, out of the grasses grew small brushes which perhaps would have been rosebushes if they were alive. There were many different trees in the garden, and as she looped around what would have been a lovely little pond she noticed that something that had made the place even stranger but beautiful was that the roses had found a way to creep and wrap their way all over most of the trees. There were neither leaves nor roses on any of these trees now and Hermione had no idea if anything in the garden was dead or alive. She didn't know any spells that could help her find out if the garden was alive or not but oh how she wish she did know some in those moment. The thin greying brown branches of the trees and the lifeless looking tangles that had overgrown on the ground made everything have a mysterious hazy. Hermione couldn't help but realise how different this one garden was compared to the ones she had spent day after day looking around. Those gardens hadn't been left by themselves to grow for 16 years. They didn't have the magical mystery to them.

"It is so still," Hermione whispered as she moved around the garden, her sharp eyes looking at everything they could. She walked under one of the magical grey arches between trees and looked up at the sprays and tendrils that had formed there, "I wonder if you are dead," she couldn't help but ask out loud, "you seem quiet dead garden. I wish you weren't." if she had been Albus she knew she would have known a spell to help her see if the wood was alive or not, but to her it all just looked grey and brown, with nothing showing any signs of life at all.

But this did not dishearten the girl, not at all. For she finally stood inside of the magical garden and she knew now she had the key and had been allowed access to the door she could come through the ivy any time she wanted. Hermione supressed a squeal as she realised she had found her own little space in this big queer place she now called home. She closed her eyes as the sun shone into the garden, only opening her eyes when she heard the familiar chirping of Robin. It seemed as if he had waited for the girl to explore the magic of the garden before he flitted down from the tree-tops and hopped over to her. She noticed he had a busy air to him as if he wanted to show her everything within the garden. She followed the small bird round the garden and couldn't help but feel like she was hundreds of miles away from any one and anything, but somehow she didn't feel lonely at all. Not like she did at the start of her time here at the manor. There was only one thing troubling her as she walked behind the bird, that was she wished to know if the roses bushes were alive or not. She felt she could perhaps revive them in memory of her father, in memory of the A2unt she never knew. She didn't want the garden to be dead. She knew if it was a live it would be a wonderful place.

The skipping rope Ginny had given her this morning was hung over her arm as she wandered carefully around the garden. As she wandered she noticed that in the corners of the garden there were alcoves of evergreens with stone seats and tall moss-covered flower urns. As she came to the second of these alcoves she stopped her wandering, within the urn she swore she saw something sticking out of the dark earth – some small sharp little pale green things.

Hermione turned to look at Robin who tilted his head to listen to what the girl had to say, "Are these the tiny little growing things Albus was telling me about" she whispered to the bird who let out a string of chirps causing the girl to smile as she imagined him say something like 'why of course they are. Tough those flowers are'

Turning her focus back to the green stubs, "They might be crocuses or snowdrops or daffodils. Perhaps there are some other ones coming up in other places," she said, turning with a sharper focused gaze over the garden. She started to walk around the garden once again. She went slowly, her eyes on the ground. She looked in each of the flower beds and among the grass. By the time she had found her way back to second alcove again she had found many more of the sharp green points coming from the ground, which had her excited that just maybe the garden wasn't as dead as she had initially thought.

Hermione settled herself so she was sat on the ground, watching as Robin flew around and chirped as he went about his normal day. As she watched him she started to clear little patches in the little patches near her. She didn't know much about gardening but in places she couldn't help but think the grass was too think in some places and the small green spouts nearby to her didn't have room to grow and breath due to it. Using her wand she went about to clear little places around each of the sprouts. "Now, they look like they can breathe," she told Robin as she finished the first few, "I think I should go around and do a few more. I don't have much time today but I will try to do them all"

It seemed Robin was happy to have someone in his garden helping to bring it to life, as he watched the young witch get to her feet and happily move from place to place with her wand in her hand trying to do the best she could to help the small plants grow. Robin had often wondered why Albus Dumbledore could not come into the garden, but he learned he had needed to wait for this young witch. This little witch who needed his garden as much as his garden needed her.

Hermione worked away in the garden until it was time for her dinner. In fact she was almost late, if it wasn't for the fact she had set an alarm on her wand she knew she would have forgotten all about dinner. As she gathered her cloak and skipping rope from the stone bench she had placed them on she could not believe she had been working away for almost 4 hours in the garden. She was most amazed that she had been happy the whole time she had been working away. In her time she had found dozens and dozens of small little points and had made a great deal to carefully clear around each and every one of them. Hermione turned at the door to look back at the garden. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not but she swore the place looked twice as cheerful and beautiful than it had when she had entered the garden, now that the grass and weeds to an extent had been pushed out the way. "I promise to come back when I can," she told the garden, looking round her new safe spot, speaking to the roses and the trees as if they were Robin and they could understand her.

With that she turned on her heel, pushes open the slow old door, slipping out from under the ivy with a grin on her face. Making sure to take the key from the door before she sprinted from the maze and through the gardens back to the manor house. Ginny couldn't believe her eyes when Hermione appeared late, out of breath, but with bright eyes and a beautiful rose tint to her cheeks. "Eh!" the girl laughed good naturedly, "My mother will be pleased when I tell her what a skippin'-rope has done for thee"

This caused Hermione to grin a little before she finished her 3rd slice of cake that meal, leaning back in her chair as she did. Oh how being out in the garden had made her hungry. "Albus was telling me all about the things about to grow in the garden," Hermione told Ginny as she wiped her mouth and loaded her plates onto the silver tray with a flick of her hand and she and her friend settled into the armchairs by the fire for a few moments. They both knew that Ginny got an hour off to present Hermione her dinner and these days Hermione didn't need cleaned up after so the girl got a well needed hour to put her feet up and talk as Hermione ate. As Hermione settled into the squashy arm chair she looked over at Ginny, "What are those white roots that look like onions?" in the garden she had come across the root looking thing in the ground. She wasn't sure what it was and she thought it was better to be safe than sorry and carefully patted down the earth on top of it.

"They're bulbs," Ginny answered for her instantly, assuming her friend was asking because of something she had seen in the gardens while talking to the old gardener Albus Dumbledore, "Lots o' spring flowers grown from 'em. Th' very little ones are snowdrops an' crocuses an' th' big ones are narcissuses an' jonquils and daffydillys. Eh! Those are ma favourite ones." Ginny said with a small sigh, smiling at the look on Hermione's face. She could almost see the cogs whirring in the girl's brain as she took in all the information Ginny told her.

"Do bulbs live a long time? Would they live for years even if no one helped them?" Hermione inquired after a moment.

"They helps themselves," Ginny answered with a nod, "that's why poor folk can afford to have 'em. If you don't disturb 'em, most of 'em'll work away underground for a lifetime, spreading out an' having little 'uns. There's a clearin' in the park near The Burrow where theres snowdrops by thousands. They're the prettiest sight in Yorkshire when th' spring comes, no one knows when they was first planted but we all love 'em the same"

Hermione couldn't help but sigh wistfully, she couldn't wait to hopefully see the park Ginny was talking about, "I wish spring was here now, I want to see all the things that grow here in England" she sighed, and after a moment in which Crookshanks jumped up onto her lap and settled with a rhythmic purr she spoke again, "I-I wish I had perhaps a little spade or something"

Ginny titled her head at the girl trying to work out her thinking, "Whatever does tha' want that for? I'm sure Albus might have some for thee if thee asked him."

Hermione turned to look at the fire as she stroked Crookshanks, she knew she had to be careful about what she said if she wanted to keep the garden a secret. It wasn't that she didn't trust Ginny, but if somehow her Uncle found out about the door being open he might get angry and lock it up forever. That was a thought Hermione could not bear. "this place is ever so lonely, no matter how grand it is," she said slowly and carefully, as she thought over her words before she spoke them, "it seems that there are so many places shut up. You know I didn't do much when I was in India, I never had the strength plus no one talked to me, which I guess is the same here with the exception of you, Neville and Albus Dumbledore. But even you two have to work, so I was thinking that perhaps if I had a little spade or something I could help in the gardens or at least learn about them if Albus would give me some seeds."

Hermione looked up to see Ginny smiling at her, "tha always amazes me. That was one of th' things my mother said. She says, 'There's such a lot o' room in that big place, why don't they give her a bit for herself, even if she doesn't plant nothin' but parsley an' carrots, she'd dig an' rake away an' be right down happy over it.' Them was the very words she said"

"Were they?" Hermione couldn't help but ask in amazement, "Your mother seems like a wise women"

"She's the mother o' 8, I'm sure she learned something besides her A B Cs." Ginny shrugged good-naturedly but Hermione could tell she was proud that Hermione like her mother so much.

"How much do you think it would cost, a spade I mean?" Hermione asked.

Ginny let out a puff of breath as she thought, "Well, at Thwaite village there's a shop an' I think I saw garden sets with a spade an' a rake an' a fork all together for 2 Sickles."

"I've got more than that in my purse," Hermione said, she wasn't boasting she was simply stating a fact, "The Generals Wife gave me 5 Galleons when we travelled over here, and Mrs McGonagall gives me money from my Uncle."

"I honestly didn't think he'd remember thee" Ginny bluntly spoke causing Hermione to smile a little, she too had been surprised when McGonagall had told her about her weekly allowance.

"McGonagall gives me a Galleon every Saturday, thought I don't have much to spend it on"

"My word! That's riches," Ginny said, "tha' can buy anything in th' world tha' wants with that! Now I've just thought of somethin' marvellous" Ginny said as she got to her feet, both of them knew it was because she had work to do before she could settle with Hermione for the evening before bed.

"What?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Well the shop also sell packets o' flower-seeds for a knut each, and our Harry knows which is th' prettiest ones an, how to make 'em grow. He flys to Thwaite many a day just for th' fun of it. Tha' could write him a letter an' ask him if he'd buy th' garden tools an' th' seeds at th' same time"

"Oh you are brilliant!" Hermione cried, "Let's go see if McGonagall has parchment and ink I can borrow!"

"I have some of my own," Ginny told her, "I brought them with me so I could write to Charlie, he's going back to Romania you see. I'll go fetch 'em" with that Ginny turned and ran from the room leaving Hermione and hew new familiar by the fire.

"If I get some tools," Hermione whispered to Crookshanks, "I can go back to the garden and dig up the weeds and turn the earth. If I have seeds I can made flowers grow and the garden won't be dead – it will come alive"

Hermione changed out of her outdoor clothes and bathed, when she entered her living room again she saw parchment, a quill and ink on the table that was now clear. Hermione assumed Ginny was busy doing whatever McGonagall needed, so she settled herself down to write a letter to Harry. It was tough for Hermione as she had never met the boy and was unsure how to approach the subject, however she soon felt many drafts later the letter she got Ginny to read over was perfect;

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I hope this finds you as well as it leaves me at present. My name is Miss Hermione Granger, I am currently residing at Malfoy Manor as I'm sure you are aware. Ginny has informed me you regularly go to Thwaite and I was hoping you could buy me some flower seeds and a set of garden tools to make flower-beds. I would prefer if you picked the prettiest flowers and the ones that are easiest to grow as ive never grown anything before though I am keen to learn. Ginny sends the family her love, and I promise to tell her many stories about elephants and camels and the gentlemen who hunt lions and tigers so she can tell the family on Sunday._

 _Thank you_

 _Hermione_

"It is perfect Hermione, and we'll put the money in th' envelope an' I'll get the chief to add it in the pile of mail to the village. Everyone knows Harry so he'll get it no problem" Ginny told her friend once she had read over the letter that evening.

"How shall I get the things once Harry buys them? Will be owl post them to me?"

"He'll bring 'em to thee himself. He'll like the excuse to walk over this way."

"Oh!" Hermine exclaimed, suddenly excited and nervous at the same time, "so I shall meet him? I never thought I should ever see Harry until your Sunday dinner"

Ginny gave the girl a look Hermione could not interpret but before Hermione could ask her about it she asked slyly, "Does tha' want to meet him?"

"Yes I do," Hermione replied, making sure to add, "I have never seen a boy whom foxes and owls love. I very much would like to meet him"

Hermione comment seemed to click something in Ginny's brain as she sat up with a start causing Hermione to raise her eyebrows in surprise, "I just remembered," Ginny suddenly spoke, "I was goin' to tell you first thing this morin' but I forgot. I asked mother – and she said she'd ask Mrs McGonagall her own self."

"Do you mean-" Hermione began, hoping what she thought Ginny was going to say was true.

"Aye, what we discussed. I asked if you might join me on a Sunday on the walk to The Burrow some day and join us for dinner."

Hermione couldn't help but feel all her hopes where coming true today, she would have tools for the secret garden, she may meet Harry, and perhaps she could one day walk across the moor with Ginny to meet her mother and have food in the quirky Burrow with her brothers. "Does she think McGonagall will let me go?" Hermione asked.

"Aye, she thinks she will allow it. Mother is a tidy women and she keeps a clean house as Mrs McGonagall knows, though she will need your Uncles approval before you can initially go."

This didn't faze Hermione, she was sure her Uncle would give her permission there was nothing wrong with the suggestion, "if I went I could see your mother, as well as Harry and your brothers," Hermione spoke allowed, rather liking the idea, "your mother doesn't seem to be like any of the mothers in India." This caused Ginny to laugh before the two settled into a comfortable silence.

It seemed her work in the garden that day and the excitement of the evening had made Hermione quiet and thoughtful. Ginny stayed with her until 10pm, as the girl got to her feet and flicked Hermione's supper tray so it would float in front of her Hermione turned to ask, "Ginny," she started, "does Lavender Brown have toothache again today?"

The question seemed to startle the red head, who turned to her with a frown, "what makes thee ask that?"

"Because when I was drawing my bath, I wandered down the corridor to get fresh towels and I swore I heard that far-off crying again, just as we heard it the other night. There isnt wind today, so it couldn't have been the wind."

"Eh!" Ginny said restlessly, "tha' mustn't go walkin' about the corridors an' listenin' at doors. Mr Malfoy would be that angry there's no knowing what he'd do."

"I wasn't listening." Hermione defiantly replied, her sour-self appearing again. "I was getting fresh towels for my bath when I heard it. That's three times now"

"My word!" Ginny gasped, but thankfully she was saved when a bell rang in the distance, "That's Mrs McGonagall's bell," she said almost fearfully as she all but ran from the room with the silver tray following behind her.

"You know Crooks, this is the strangest house any one has ever lived in." Hermione told her familiar drowsily, her head dropping onto the squashy armchair as sleep took over. It seemed the combination of Fresh air, digging, the skipping rope and the exciting news she may meet the Weasley's and Harry had her so terribly tired.

* * *

 **Tell me your thoughts, thanks**

 **Sarahx**


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